


A Tale Of Moon

by Makowo



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Asexual Kirigiri Kyoko, Bisexual Naegi Makoto, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Canon-Typical Violence, Conspiracy Theories, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pansexual Togami Byakuya, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Supernatural Elements, Trans Male Character, Trans Naegi Makoto, Transformation, Trauma, naegirigami rights hehe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:01:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25138900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makowo/pseuds/Makowo
Summary: Byakuya stumbles upon a wolf in the halls of Hope's Peak one night, and makes the terrible mistake of looking into the phenomena of its existence.(A.K.A he slowly grows obsessed with both makoto and the wolf he'd met at 2 am one night, then slowly realizes that his obsessions are the same and he's probably a furry)
Relationships: Hagakure Yasuhiro & Togami Byakuya, Kirigiri Kyoko & Naegi Makoto, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya, Kirigiri Kyoko/Togami Byakuya, Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya
Comments: 30
Kudos: 159





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> yes i named this after a song from beastars. what of it.

Togami Byakuya has little care for dogs.

Sure, they’re respectable animals. But man’s best friend? That’s stretching it. That really discredits horses, as dogs aren’t used nearly as often for the vital jobs that horses can carry out. And they fail in the area of being a good pet as well. They’re loud, come in a ton of different sizes that vary little in annoyance, and need to be taken outside all the time. Cats though? They’re quiet, always small enough to be held, and have a box they can use instead of needing to be taken outside. Plus, they’re way softer, and dogs don’t purr.

And dogs are very much tied to their wolf heritage. And while cats became less harmful, dogs still stick tightly to their vicious pasts. But don’t think Byakuya hasn’t ever _had_ a good experience with a dog. He used to have one when he was younger, a lovely Akita. He adored that dog, but once it passed, they got a cat and he’s not had a good experience with a dog since then.

It’s not something Byakuya will accept pity for. It’s simply an opinion, and one he often needs to keep to himself, with the nature of Oowada Mondo, the person that is everything Byakuya is not. And it’s a sentiment he’s held for half a decade now, followed all the way into halfway through his first year at Hope’s Peak Academy, A.K.A hell itself.

And oh, what could have possibly brought on this train of thought? Maybe a run in with Tanaka of the class above him? Perhaps a fight with Oowada or Naegi about the merits of dogs? Maybe a dog trying to cuddle up to him, making a mission to befriend him for no reason whatsoever, instigating a sudden change in heart and making him a kind soul?

If one chose the final choice, then they may be correct! In a sense, that is.

Because it’s not a dog. It’s a _wolf._

One he can’t specify in the slightest. It’s just… so _big._ Larger than any he’s ever seen or heard of. A good 200 centimeters nose-to-tail, give or take. A height that had startled Byakuya greatly when he had left the dining hall at 2 am - don’t ask - and had been met with the sound of soft growls, paired with the click of something against tile. And the sight of the wolf’s hulking silhouette, stumbling around in the darkness of the hall was a sight to behold.

When its eyes, a terrible, blinding green glow that emitted from a thick coat of spiky brown fur, he had thought it his end. Its far too long claws scratching against the floor, its heavy breathing, the way its tail went from limp to wagging in a way he could only interpret as excitement for found prey. All of it filled him with a terror he has no words for, a vain hope that this is a nightmare orchestrated by the brainrot he’s finally caught from his classmates.

It then charged with a vicious bark, and Byakuya could only stand there, the scene to come playing out before his eyes. Its claws would plunge into his stomach, curving and tearing through his skin and ripping apart his organs. The hall would be dyed a hot pink, to be stumbled upon in the morning along with his half-eaten body. A feast for the bloodthirsty monster of a wolf that had wandered into Hope’s Peak, apparently right when he had woken up from a nasty nightmare he’ll never speak of.

It had leapt onto him as he expected, its heavy weight taking the breath from the Heir as he hit the ground. But when he expected for fangs to press to his neck, or for his clothes and torso both become comparable to a shredded curtain, something else happened.

He’s… licked. Just licked, and that made Byakuya very confused because its breath smelt like bananas. Wolf breath should smell like raw meat or something, certainly not _bananas._ Yet that’s what he was presented with while the wolf panted excitedly right in his face, barking at and licking the bewildered “prey” beneath it.

And now Byakuya finds himself here, musing over his judgement of canines as he rubs the giant wolf’s belly, earning low howls and barks of excitement from it. It seems to only be satisfied when its pet, otherwise clambering back onto Byakuya and slowly taking away any feeling in his legs until he goes back to giving it pats. Thankfully something he can do that doesn’t involve being forced to raid the kitchen for meat to keep himself alive.

Honestly, were it not for this animal’s feral features that make it stand out from the soft, carefully breed species of dogs he knows, he’d think this an over-sized puppy. In a way a… a bit adorable. Just a tad. If you ignore the sharp teeth and claws and every time it hungrily glides its tongue over its powerful jaws.

“Do you know Tanaka?” He asks softly as he moves his hands up to its ears, flattening them occasionally as he struggles to scratch it through the thick fur that lies heavy on its frame. “You’re certainly don't seem groomed, but you might be his.” he tries flattening the split spikes of hair that poke out prominently from the top of its head, watching as they again spring up without any trouble.”Unless you’re just like this. Even though it’s spring and you should be shaved by now.”

Togami has no fucking clue as to why he asked the clearly inhuman wolf this. He just answered his own damn question.

_“Okay.”_ The teen hisses, practically massaging the canine as he tries to get past all the fur. “Maybe he can take you in when morning comes, hm?” His hands disappear into its pelt, the wolf remaining unfazed as it continues on with its thrilled sounds. “I can’t just leave you out… you might go and try suffocating someone trying to get them to pet you.”

All it does is boof at him, earning the softest of chuckles from the teen. “Well, I’m glad you’re so calm. I don’t think I could chase you at thi-”

And that’s the exact moment the wolf decides to get up and run off.

“Wha…” He sits there on the floor, watching for a moment as the giant wolf rushes away from the doors, disappearing around the corner as it heads towards the entrance. “H-hey, wait!” Baykuya scrambles to his feet, running off after it.

It’s easy to follow, with its claws clicking loudly with every step. But it’s _fast,_ extraordinarily so. Even if he can hear it, he may not even be able to keep up. But thankfully, it happens to pass right by the doors leading to outside of the building.

But that’s just all the more confusing to Byakuya. Why would it skip the chance for freedom? Why would it have even ignored the dining hall, when he’s sure the wolf could easily smell the food that lies in its kitchen? It can’t have been a case of it not being hungry; it must have wandered into the school for a reason. And an animal’s motivations for going anywhere is often to do with their own survival.

Byakuya huffs, discarding the unanswerable questions as he passes by the nurse’s office. Maybe it just heard something, or got spooked. Even if it’s a huge wolf, anything can be a coward.

Byakuya’s sprinting falters when there’s a sharp yelp followed by a crash. He rushes to the room that lies just before the gymnasium, his attention immediately on the trophy case. Or more specifically, the trophy case with shattered glass.

“Damn it.” He curses, marching over. The wolf lies on its side at the base of the shelves, its whines a clear indication that it’s paid for its mistake already. He sighs, crouching down in front of it and beginning to comb through its fur, plucking glass from the thick tangles and tossing them to the side.

The wolf squirms beneath his touch however, tail beating the trophy case rhythmically. “Hey, stay still! I’m trying to help you.” Byakuya scolds the animal, gently patting it on the head. He then notices a patch of fur quickly becoming matted with blood, a grimace appearing on Byakuya’s face. “Okay, stay calm. I’m going to get this glass out of you.”

The wolf only whines louder, relaxing just the slightest bit when he begins to scratch its neck with one hand. His other reaches through the thick clumps of fur, quickly finding the wound. It doesn’t seem very big, and since the glass is small and far enough out to be felt without digging into the wound, it likely hasn’t gone far enough to puncture an organ.

“I can’t tell whether you’re lucky or not…” The Heir huffs, gently gripping the glass. Upon the slight movement the wolf winces, kicking out a leg in vain retaliation. “Stay still, I need to pull it out. Now, one… two… three!”

Surprisingly, the glass slides out with hardly any trouble. He sighs as he holds it up, growing more urgent with his scratching as the wolf barks in agitation. “Hey, shhh, it’s okay.” He puts the piece to the side, massaging its flank as he tries to soothe the beast. It barks again, the top of its head hitting the case hard as it tries to presumably let out a howl. “It’s alright, I got the piece out, you’re gonna be okay if you stop squir-”

And right then, something hard strikes Byakuya’s head, his consciousness disappearing in an instant.

* * *

Byakuya wakes up, and quickly figures out exactly where he is.

It isn’t where he was, but it’s ideal to be in the nurse’s office. Especially after he was hit by something and knocked out, right next to a giant _wolf._

Before he can think any more about it, he groans, raising a hand to his head as he’s hit with a wave of pain and nausea, having to seethe to withstand it as he gets used to the light above him.

“T-Togami-kun!” A familiar voice shouts in surprise, followed by a shriek from a far less familiar voice.

“Be _quiet.”_ The Heir hisses, forcing himself into an upright position. He looks over, eyes landing upon Tsumiki from the class above his own, and Naegi. Both make sense, though do make him curious. “What happened?” He asks sharply, eyes on the Ultimate Nurse.

“U-um, y-y-you we-were found in… i-in front of the tr-trophy cas-ses thi-this morning!” He skitters over, shivering beneath his searing blue gaze. “I-it was sh-shatter-red, w-we think a tr-troph-phy fell o-on your head… I-I’m sorry!” She flinches back, as if she were expecting him to blame her for the entire situation.

Byakuya hums, accepting her explanation. “Okay then. Naegi.” He turns to the boy in question, who stiffens. He looks over the “lucky” student, noting multiple bandages on his arms and hands. “What happened to you this time?”

Naegi smiles sheepishly, a blush of embarrassment spreading over his face. “Well, I was the one that found you this morning on the floor. I got startled and rushed over to you, but I tripped over a different trophy and… it didn’t end well.” He laughs, only to wince. “G-got one in my side too. I’m okay though, it wasn’t deep.”

“Alright then.” He nods, glancing back to the nurse at his bedside. “Well, I’m sure you all likely know by now, but I had been chasing a wolf last night, and it was what shattered the glass. I assume it’s been retrieved by now?”

Naegi stiffens, but Tsumiki is the one to provide an answer. “W-wolf?!” She shrieks. “No, n-no one s-saw an-any!” She shakes her head rapidly, glancing between him and the door. “The… camer-ras, they were mal-malfu-malf…” She huffs, struggling with the word.

“Th-they weren’t working correctly last night, I think.” Naegi chimes in, earning a relieved glance from the nurse. “Most of the feed on the first floor had come up mostly static, so they have no records on if anything happened last night.” His brow furrows with concern, looking up at the nearly unnoticeable camera in one of the ceiling corners of the room. “They’re working on fixing it, but when they looked around the floor this morning in case of intruders, they didn’t find anything. Especially not any signs of a _wolf.”_

Byakuya scoffs, arms folding over his chest. Of _course_ their cameras weren’t functioning. Hope’s Peak has preferred to be on the cheaper side of spending as of late, he should have expected their decade old cameras to give out at some point. “Well, there was a wolf last night. It was 200 centimeters or so long, so it shouldn’t have been able to hide so easily.” And, if need be, he’ll find it himself. It likely hasn’t left the building, since they haven’t mentioned the entrance to the school being broken as well.

“I-I doubt th-there’s a-any wolf _that_ big, since there’s no-none record-d-ded that reach 200 centimeters, b-but… I’ll ask Tana-naka-kun about it!” Tsumiki turns around, looking through the cabinets lining the walls. Byakuya nearly snaps at her for indirectly calling him crazy, but he decides against it as another wave of pain pulses through his skull. “H-he might o-o-own it…”

“It didn’t try to kill me, so I have to presume so.” He hopes to whatever god there is that he owns the damn thing. It was huge, and could really get someone hurt if it got too friendly or felt threatened enough to attack.

Tsumiki pulls out a bottle of pills, handing Byakuya one. “Here, f-for your inj-ju-jury!” He takes it without a second though, unwilling to deal with this headache for much longer. “It’s no-not a conc-cussion, s-s-so you… c-can go!”

Byakuya simply nods, getting up slowly from the bed. Before he goes however, his gaze flits back to Naegi, of which appears a tad shaken. Presumably because of the wolf he spoke of, as nothing else comes to mind. “It’s just a wolf.” He says, startling the boy from his stupor. “Don’t get so shaken by it. It didn’t even try to hurt me, and I doubt it will hurt anyone at all unless provoked.” Or hungry, if it pacing at the dorms was anything to go off of. But he doubts it could be so bold.

“I-I’m not!” Naegi barks, surprising everyone present, himself included. “Sorry, I… I’m just worried someone might get hurt, is all. Don’t worry.” He tries to give a comforting smile, but it seems the slightest bit forced.

After a few seconds of silence, Byakuya clears his throat. “I’ll make sure Fukawa takes notes for you in what classes you miss.” His eyes flit to the clock. 9:54 am. “I’m sure she’s already been taking notes for me, and it’s painful to watch you fret over your grades so often.” Not that he speaks of it, but Byakuya isn’t blind to the way he distances himself from conversations of school work and tests.

Naegi’s eyes widen with surprise. “Really? Thank you, Togami-kun.”

“Neither of you say a word to anyone about it. I’ll deliver the notes tonight.”

“In the morning!” Makoto yelps, jolting before quickly calming down. “O-or just leave them outside my door, I guess. I’ll probably go to sleep early and won’t hear you.”

Oh, that’s total bullshit. Byakua can see it from a mile away. But in all honesty, he can’t bring himself to show any interest in his reasoning. “Alright then. Goodbye.” He says instead, walking out the door and closing it behind himself. The halls are barren, allowing him to wonder back to his room without being bombarded by questions from his classmates. 

As well as allowing him to think over the events of the past eight hours. Having a chance meeting with a wolf far larger than most species on record, it immediately warming up to him before running off for seemingly no reason, and then getting knocked out by a random falling trophy in the span of ten minutes or so at 2 am. It’s pretty weird, but not something he’d pay much mind to if it weren’t for the fact that there wasn’t a _trace_ of it ever existing this morning, supposedly.

He can’t just leave this be. For a wolf to appear suddenly in the dead of night, only witnessed by one person before disappearing without a trace? It could be a bunch of coincidences that there wasn’t anyone else patrolling the halls and the cameras had suddenly stopped working, but fuck that. He needs something to look into, and mysterious happenings like this are of some interest to him. He totally doesn’t ogle over the OOParts that Naegi stumbles upon and gives to him on occasion, of course not. But it’s… interesting.

Interesting enough to take up some of his time, perhaps. Maybe he’ll fuck around and fixate on it for a week, who knows. Byakuya certainly doesn’t.

He’ll have to rework his schedule later, for now he opts to go to his room and pass out. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter:  
> Byakuya forms a ~~friendship~~ temporary alliance with someone he hates, and continues to be dogphobic


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha so yeah. byakuya loves ooparts in canon and thus has an implied liking for conspircy shit??? and i dont think enough people talk about it so imma fuckin talk abt it
> 
> also it's nearly 3 am :) please help

Byakuya does not fixate on it for a week.

It has been nearly a month, and Byakuya hasn’t found anything but bullshit.

Mostly stuff touching on the supernatural. Unreliable eyewitness accounts, short, blurry videos, articles with too many “probably”s for comfort, all of it useless. He could only do research between classes, so it wasn’t like he could scour the internet all the time, and he doesn’t wish to let this fall into the hands of people that could do it all for him. Mostly because that’s boring and this is the only thing that interests him at all right now.

Well, it’s not the  _ only _ thing he cares about. There’s one(1) singular other thing, and that happens to be Naegi Makoto. And it started the day after Byakuya returned to class.

Everyone was glad to see him well, of course. It had left a few nasty scars, but they’d likely heal. But the greeting was very short-lived, as mathematics can be a challenge if one stops paying attention for even half a minute.

However, Byakuya couldn’t help but notice Naegi limping as he walked. And at times during class he’d wince, which wouldn't be too odd were it not for the fact that he’d do it even while not using his hands or moving his arms. And he certainly wasn’t the only one that noticed.

He’d just so happened to overhear a conversation between Naegi and Kirigiri in the A/V room as he was passing by. She had confronted him about the oddity of his wincing and limping, or so he deduced since their words were incredibly muffled by the closed door. And surprisingly, it hardly took a minute for him to reveal the truth.

A bandage wrapped around his torso, which when shrugged down a little, revealed a still fresh wound on his right side.

Now, Byakuya hadn’t thought this odd at the time. Sure, it was a bit strange of the boy to hide the fact that he had been hurt, but he’s the selfless type. Plus, his luck can conduct some odd happenings, and for glass to somehow get in his side and leave that wound isn’t particularly weird at this point. It’s excusable, on some level.

Or at least, it  _ was. _

He’s been digging through each and every library book that could possibly have to do with this sort of case. But he’d been doing it alone, and to go a  _ month _ without any proper explanation is just too odd. Especially when he’s found pawprints in the soil outside after a fresh rain, big enough for the wolf he’d seen. Chunks of fur its exact shade, decorating bushes that he passes by each day. Muffled, phantom howls in the middle of the night that he can’t seem to pinpoint the source of.

This giant wolf has been fucking haunting Byakuya for weeks now, and Naegi has appeared  _ every damn time _ he happens to stumble upon evidence! And he gets rid of it! Pawprints? Ropes Byakuya into a conversation and distracts him until he has the chance to scuff it away. Fur? Distracts him, then somehow sneaks it into his pocket or something and runs off! He can’t do anything about the howls of course, but does seem to try and get him to go to bed earlier each night.

As if he’d dare ever listen to the lucky student’s begs. He has more important things to pay attention to, and the more time he has to inspect it, the better.

It’s odd, though. Naegi just seems to give up a bit before night rolls around. But that’s something he doesn’t mind all too much, so maybe he’ll look into it another time.

For now, Byakuya busies himself with keeping watch over the halls each night, walking around the first floor in a patrolling manner and framing it as a way to get himself tired enough to rest. His sleeping habits are no one’s business though, so more often than not he finds a way to blow them off or throw the question right back at them.

And tonight, it goes the same. He walks through the halls, looking for a single sign of the thing that’s been tormenting his thoughts for so long. As well as looking for Naegi, but less urgently. He doesn’t doubt that the boy simply happens to go in and head to the dorms when he’s looking around at a different part of the floor. Or he just didn’t pay attention, Naegi is super tiny.

As Byakuya slowly marches his way through the hallway of the dorms, a door opens from behind him. “Who-” He then falters, putting his glasses back into position. “Bye.”

“Togamicchi!” The voice of a person - if one could call him that, with his level of stupidity that should have him dead - Byakuya finds  _ particularly _ annoying out of the rest of his peers calls out, rushing over to him. “What’re you doin’ out here, man? Isn’t there that-”

“Wolf? Yes, there is.” Byakuya replies without turning to look upon Hagakure, as he’s certain he’d miss an important sign of its existence. “Since everyone is too incompitent to hunt it down, I’ve been taking it upon myself to fulfill the task.” They’d best be preparing their thanks once he reveals it one morning, and this dolt especially. “Now then, why are you out here wasting my time?”

“Well, I was sleeping soundly, but then I heard footsteps outside my door! So I thought that it might be the werewolf, so I wanted to get a picture.” He then laughs an obnoxious laugh, a smile on his face. “But it seems it was just you, Togamicchi! Seems I don’t gotta worry after all!”

There’s plenty to unpack in that stupid explanation, but Byakuya decides to focus on the part of most interest. “Werewolf?” He scoffs, arms crossed over his chest. “You really think that?” Why is he even asking this, he already knows the answer.

But sadly, before he can excuse himself from the conversation, Hagakure responds. “Of course dude! I mean, it’s gotta be a werewolf, right?! Bigger than normal wolves, only seems around at night, the howling and stuff!”

Hagakure continues, but Byakuya tunes him out very quickly. Yet, he finds himself thinking over the Ultimate Fortune Teller’s reasoning. It was unusually large for its species, and those claws were far too long. And there was… something a bit weird about it, really. Whenever he touched the wolf, it had felt thick. Beneath the skin, it was thick, in a way that he can’t explain, but was certainly off-putting now that he thinks about it.

He returns his attention to Hagakure when his wrist is suddenly grabbed, the man seeming frantic. “L-look man, just meet me in the library alright? I’ll show you some stuff about it!”

Byakuya clicks his tongue, disgust written over his features. “First of all, never touch me again.” He harshly yanks his wrist out of Hagakure’s grip, taking a step back. “And second of all… I’ll be there in five minutes. Just make sure to be ready when I arrive, or else I’ll add a thousand yen to your debt for every second you waste my time.”

“Hagakure squeaks, already backing away, much to Togami’s delight. “O-on it!” he then rushes off, finally leaving Byakuya alone.

“Finally.” He huffs, turning around and continuing on with his leisurely walk. He’ll just do one more lap around the first floor, then go up to the second floor. Shouldn’t be a problem along the way, that’s impossible. He’s only gonna go on for five minutes or so, how many things could happen in such a short time?

* * *

His walk went fine. Did anyone think something bad would happen? Of course not, he’s literally walking around in the safety of the most respected school in the world, they’d at least  _ try _ to protect their students during all hours.

Still, he did hear that howling as he walked around. And he  _ swears _ he saw its shadow, as unbelievable as that might be since he neither heard nor spotted anything when he tried giving chase.

Fuck, that thing’s driving him insane. And that’s especially clear considering he’s bothering to trust Hagakure to help with this.

“Alright.” Byakuya says as he opens the double doors to the library, closing them with a loud bang. “You’d best not be unprepared.”

“Course not, Togamicchi!” The irritating man cheers, patting a stack of books on the table. A shame, really. Byakuya would have been more excited if he came to see him mauled by the wolf for some more solid evidence. Kill two birds with one stone. “Got everything right here!”

“So?” He steps closer, gazing at the books. “I suppose these are about werewolves?”

The way Hagakure chuckles isn’t a comforting sign. “Well, kinda? Just somethin’ to fall back on if we can’t find anything.”

Byakuya’s right eyebrow quirks up, curiosity peaked once more. “So what might be more solid proof of your little conspiracy theory, hm?” He leans in close, icy blue eyes boring into the lowly peasant before him. “Because I’d certainly like to get this over with before we happen to somehow get hunted down and torn apart by a wolf.” Byakuya doesn’t want to be killed next to this guy, personally. At least let it be in the comfort of his own dorm or something.

Hagakure raises his hands, Byakuya straightening his posture. “I’m gettin’ there, I’m gettin’ there!” He backs off, digging into his pocket before procuring a key. “Here it is!” He chirps, swinging it around his finger. “Key to the archives!”

Byakuya’s eyes widen, unable to deny his own surprise at the revelation. “Who in the  _ hell _ let you have that?” He hisses, gaze flicking from him to the door leading to the room in question. A room he has yet to explore, much to his absolute fury. Not even bribes would get the staff to budge, and for  _ Hagakure fucking Yasuhiro to get a key of all people- _

“Kirigiricchi let me borrow it! Y’know, headmaster’s daughter.” He announces proudly, oblivious to Byakuya’s rising wrath. “I kinda just asked, and she gave it to me! That was this morning though, and I gotta return it by tomorrow, so we can only use it once!”

Oh. Byakuya’s fury subsides, nodding. “Alright then, let’s begin.” She probably thought he was just going to dig up something to try fueling some theory he has. And even if he were proved right, literally no one would believe him anyways. Byakuya certainly knows he’s an untrustworthy source of information.

Yet here he is, and it’s… working out, strangely enough. Perhaps he’ll work with him a little in the future, if this all isn’t a waste of time that is.

Byakuya grabs the key from the other man, leaving him scrambling to uselessly try and get it back. He slots it into the keyhole of the door, twisting it until he hears the click that sends shivers of delight down his spine.

_ Oh, _ how wonderful it is to open. To be greeted by a curved wall filled to the very  _ brim _ with folders. Police reports, odd sightings, everything he could want! All accessible only by those of the highest parts of the staff and Ultimates that deal in this sort of work. Certainly must provide hours of entertainment for Kirigiri. Or maybe it’s just the headmaster trying to get on her good side.

Either way, it’s worked out quite well for Byakuya, smirking with triumph as he glances around. “So, might you be able to direct me to any reports that might line up with what I’m looking for?”

“Of course!” His classmate responds excitedly, flocking to a shelf right next to the center. “Should still be here… aha!” He tugs out a thick folder, holding it up in triumph. Here ya go, Togamicchi! All yours! For like 9 hours, at least.”

He turns, snatching it from the Fortune Teller without a word. “Now then, leave. I need to focus.”

“Hey, wouldn’t having some extra help be-”

_ “My threat still stands.” _

“Okay!” He laughs, spinning on his heel and marching out. “See ya tomorrow Togamicchi!”

Byakuya does not grace him with an answer, instead opting to focus upon the file in his grasp. It’s a rather plain black folder, with “WOLF REPORTS [CLASSIFIED]” scrawled on its front. Damn, how classified, so top secret it’s in an easily lockpickable archive on the second floor of the most well known school in the country, if not the entire world. Welp, time for Byakuya, a high school student, to open it up and memorize all of its contents.

And oh, what contents they are.

It certainly starts off tame. A list of reports and victims of sudden wolf attacks in the middle of summer, weird behavior sighted from wolves on certain nights, nothing that stands out. But then,  _ oh, _ but then it gets  _ weird. _

Photos of wolves far too big to be of a reported species. A set of eyes that feel so very human, staring at a camera from an alley entrance. Claw marks left in solid concrete, fur and other traces of DNA that when tested, come up part wolf and part  _ human _ . And a picture of a wolf, standing on its hind legs, flashlights cast upon its beastial form.

It could be fake. All of it could. But it’s a bit weird how it’s all in a classified file, and must be from real, unreleased police reports. Kept in Hope’s Peak for future ace detectives to look upon and try to figure out. It’s all just adding up to something that…  _ really _ leaves him unsettled.

Oh, and there’s the picture of a person  _ very clearly _ part wolf and in seemingly pure agony. That too.

“Shit…” Byakuya curses, quickly flipping through to another part of the file. Maybe he’ll take a break from the pictures. For now, he’ll look through more reports, this time seeming to be a tad more believable, with eyewitness accounts tied to them. Often from small towns, with the occasional outlier detailing one in a building in Tokyo or Kyoto for a night that had disappeared by morning. All of them lined up to be very oddly similar, however.

Then, he ran across one that made him stop dead.

_ Account of the Naegi family in Hatsukaichi, on February 4th, 2009, at 11:34 PM _

_ Injuries include: 3 millimeter deep scratch on Naegi Komaru’s shoulder, and 6.2 inch deep bite to Naegi Makoto’s left arm and a 4.7 inch deep bite to Naegi Makoto’s right leg. A 2.9 inch deep and 7.7 inch scratches on his shoulders and back as well. _

Byakuya grimaces as the thought of such harsh injuries, decorating Naegi of all people. Enough to leave scarring, surely. Perhaps that’s why he’s always so vehement on wearing long sleeves and jeans? He’ll have to ask about it later.

_ State of the home: The door partially torn apart, multiple scratches in the carpeting and walls of the living room, with multiple large bloodstains and a trail that leads into the kitchen, ending with a large puddle of blood in front of a rack of knives. Droplets of blood lead to Naegi Sora and Naegi Chiyo’s bedroom. Only Naegi Komaru’s was identifiable as fully human, the rest presumed tainted by the blood of the wolf mixing with Naegi Makoto’s. _

_ Statement of Naegi Sora and Naegi Chiyo, regarding the incident: _

_ “We had just woken up when we heard loud bangs and screams coming from the kitchen. We were gonna go and see what was going on when Komaru ran into us. She(Chiyo) had gone to put her in the closet to hide, and when I got in there, it…” At this point he had begun sobbing, forcing us to end their statement. _

Simply reading all of that leaves a bad taste in Byakuya’s mouth, and for it to be just before the boy’s birthday… well, he can’t go pitying the commoner when he had suffered that years ago. He has more important business.

Perhaps he’ll look through it more tomorrow, but for now Byakuya decides to close the file, carrying it with him and placing a different one in a pile on the floor in its place. Just in case someone figures out that it’s missing. He takes the key, locking the door behind himself before rushing off.

Seems both of his interests have gained some vital updates, now.He’ll have to pester one of his peers for more info on the subject, but a small price to pay for information on how he could catch this monstrous thing living so close to their school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: makoto gets upset, kyoko is mad, and byakuya's name is togami byakuya


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why do i keep finishing these at like 3 am. is this just that fic i do at 3 am now. fuck.

Byakuya is sure all of Hope’s Peak Academy is against him.

Or at least, Kirigiri and Naegi are, if her dismissive demeanor regarding Makoto’s attempts to hide evidence is anything to go by. They must be! He’s already told Hagakure, of which he’s extended his temporary cooperation with, all of what Naegi has done to ruin his chances of hunting down the werewolf. And as expected, Hagakure backed out of actually getting that far involved. But he’s at least got him for when they go out and do some actual hunting.

He probably thinks they won’t find anything, but he’ll see. Once he squeezes out all the information he can from Naegi, then he’s sure he’ll be able to hunt it down in no time. It’s all a matter of learning its abilities, then exploiting them.

When they’re human, of course. Maybe he can get a tracking device to put on it? Or maybe just a tranquilizer, that would work way better. Then again, he doesn’t wanna get close to it, and he’s never held a gun in his life. Not that he ever would, it’s the job of his guards to use guns. Certainly not part of his job.

But, that’s besides the point. Because now! He has a plan! And he’s so,  _ so close _ to seeing its wonderful results.

And that’s when his doorbell rings. And that’s when he’s met with the sight of a  _ very _ pissed off Kirigiri Kyoko. Right in the middle of his daily reading time, too!  _ The audacity. _

“Where’s the file?” She asks sharply, the only truly clear sign that she’s anything but calm.

“I have no clue of what you’re speaking of.” He smoothly responds, arms crossed over his chest.

“Hagakure told me you have a file. So give it to me.”

“Is he really stooping so low as to lie about such things?” He scoffs with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I don’t doubt that he’s likely planning to sell whatever file you’re wanting off the first chance he gets. Who knows, he could be making the deal right-”

“The file is literally right there on your desk.”

He jolts, glancing over to his desk. Except… it’s entirely clear, with only a pencil and a mostly finished report laid atop it.

Oh, he has not hated anything more than the smug look Kirigiri bears as she looks over his wrath-filled expression. “So?” She looks past him around the room, clearly thinking she’s won when she  _ hasn’t. _ “Where might it be? It’s school property you know, and taking it out of the archives without explicit permission is against the school’s regulations.”

“Who are you, Ishimaru?” He takes a step forward, gently nudging his foot towards her as if he were trying to ward off a cat. “Now go on and rush off to your dad. I’m sure he’ll want to hear about what’s upsetting his poor little daughter.”

That seems to tick her off, she taking her own step forward as she challenges his gaze. “Give me the file, or else you really  _ will _ need to deal with Ishimaru-kun.”

For a moment, he’s unfazed. But then he remembers that Oowada exists.

He grumbles out a sound of annoyed acceptance, marching over and crouching down by his bed. He lifts up the mattress a little and reaches in, pulling out the file and handing it to Kirigiri as she idly stands by. “Here you  _ go.” _ He hisses, watching as she snatches it from his hand. She doesn’t say a word, instead quickly flipping through the file. “I haven’t taken anything, you know. I’ve already committed everything to memory.”

She huffs, only closing the file when she’s looked it over properly. “Well, thank you for wasting my time.” She hums, tucking the file under her arm.

“You're welcome.” Byakuya growls back, but he’s met with silence, the Detective already having marched out. Which is perfectly fine by him. He can survive without that little file, it’s not like he needs to prove it to anyone. Not now, anyways.

He has all the allies he needs. That being himself. Hagakure is going to keep his damn distance, as long as Byakuya has anything to say about it.

_ But _ , now that Kirigiri is off and busy with other things, he can track down Naegi for a bit of questioning.

He grabs a notepad from beneath the mattress, finally letting it fall back onto its frame. He flips through it, not sparing a glance to a variety of lists and charts that have been scrawled into this book. It’s something he always tries to keep hidden, as it contains plenty of information about others - as well as his own plans concerning them - that could easily be turned against him. Maybe even against the whole company, considering just how often he’d do this sort of listing before his time here.

Byakuya stops upon coming to the latest page, detailing important questions he needs answers to about this case he’s set up. Thankfully he won’t need to take it along, but he’ll have to make sure to record it once he’s back. And if he plays his cards right, it shouldn’t be hard to eek out the aftermath of what he read from the Ultimate Lucky Student.

The Ultimate Heir marches out of the bedroom as quickly as possible, turning on his H-Pad and looking through it to the map of the school. There’s tracking devices in each of these devices, and for a student to be caught without theirs would be nonsensical. It has an easy way to check notes on previous, very forgettable lessons, as well as a way to message others, so to be without it during daily life is to be without something vital to it.

He taps the small pixel icon of the boy he’s searching for - though the pixel icons seem pointless, he has to admit that they’re cute - and it opens to… the greenhouse? Huh. He hadn’t really expected that when it’s so close to their evening meal, especially when there’s fourteen other students that seem to always be clamoring for his attention.

Byakuya makes the trek up the several flights of stairs leading to the topmost floor, dodging any of his peers along his way. He can’t be having any distractions now. Not when he’s about to make a breakthrough in this case.

The scent of flowers and pesticides are overwhelming as he steps into the greenhouse, utterly overwhelming to the senses. Yet this is a place that won’t fry a person’s sense of smell somehow, considering the amount of times he’s seen others dipping in and out of it. Still, the air is annoying, and much more is the gaudy look of the exotic plants that he’s pretty sure are among some that could probably kill him.

And among the flora is Naegi Makoto, appearing to be in the midst of a bout of gardening. He bears a serene smile, eyes shadowed by the unkempt hair that bugs Byakuya to no end as well as his hood. The boy’s signature blazer is nowhere to be seen, only his hoodie and a pair of jeans, exposing arms that are rarely bared and leather gloves a bit too big for his hands. He’d call it foolish to wear what he does after every class is done for the day, if not for the well-known fact that the boy owns multiple copies of the exact same set of clothing. For what reasons, he can’t possibly guess.

“Naegi.” The Heir calls out, beginning to walk over. The boy in question perks up, snapping his attention to him like a dog would to its owner. “Are you busy?”

“Oh, um, kinda?” He shrugs, smile reappearing, though no longer serene. “I was just relieving some stress.” He takes off his gloves, discarding them into the dirt. “If you need me for something I-”

“Good.” Byakuya huffs, and it only takes a moment for him to grab Naegi’s wrist and pull him closer. He yelps, but it goes ignored. No one is on this floor, and if they do happen upon them he has plenty of excuses for his visit. Naegi gets hurt often, after all. “Now then, do you mind telling me what happened on February 4th of 2009? I’d recommend you not mind, as I’m sure you have your own busy schedule to stick to.”

Naegi freezes in the taller teen’s grasp, his face that of pure terror, though not directed at Byakuya. He stays patient, allowing Naegi to gather his bearings before needing to speak. It’s the least he can do.

“I-I’m not sure what you’re talking abou-”

“You’re a terrible liar, surely you must get that by now?” He twists his arm the slightest bit, forcing him to take a step back. “Just tell me what happened, or at least talk about that “wolf” you had to kill. It’s not that hard.”

Naegi appears to struggle with his next words, head lowering in what Byakuya assumes is submission. “I-I kind of… don’t wanna t-” He then jolts, eyes widening as he takes a deep breath. “... You’re… not letting me go, are you?”

Despite Naegi’s tone going cold, Byakuya smirks, nodding. “Yes, Naegi.” He replies in the simplest way possible, dumbing it down for the boy that just can’t seem to pick up on the obvious clues laid out. “I am getting what I want from you. And you will  _ not _ be escaping until I have every last one of my questions answered.”

Byakuya is  _ delighted _ to see Naegi shake, fingers curling to form a tight fist. There’s an odd sound hitting his ears, but he can’t afford to try and discover its source right now. “I… didn’t think you would-”

“What, be willing to go this far to get what I want?” He scoffs, reveling in the sight of the usually so  _ kind _ and  _ passive _ boy be brought to the edge of his patience. “I’ve done plenty of business deals in a vein similar to this. You’re just another one of those.”

“So that’s it?” His voice is quiet, but a growl rolls from his throat upon each syllable, a silent threat that goes ignored. For Naegi is no creature of violence; he is human, and small enough to be overpowered with ease. “I’m nothing to you but someone to use?”

Byakuya smiles, a curled grin that evokes an unusually casual side of the Heir, though it’s anything but innocent. “What do you think?” Naegi begins a constant shake upon his reply, the rhythmic clench and unclench of his fingers something to be ignored. “You’re all bark and no bite, understand? I could easily just talk to your parents, or your sister. Do you want that instea-”

Naegi roughly wrestles himself out of Byakuya’s grip, making him stagger back and tumble to the ground. A snarl rings out, and as much as Byakuya should be able to stand against it, he can’t bring himself to. He can only gaze at the Lucky Students shoes, watching dirt be scuffed up as he draws closer and closer, until his shadow eclipses Byakuya himself.

It’s not a shadow that matches the small stature of Naegi. He can’t tell what it is, but it isn’t right. But it matches up with his movements.

It huffs out each breath as Naegi does.

It raises a “hand” as Naegi does.

It flexes each nail as Naegi does, and prepares to strike-

Suddenly there’s footsteps, and someone skids to a halt between them. That makes Byakuya snap his gaze up, met with the rare sight of Kirigiri instigating contact. She clutches him, slowly moving him back as Naegi relaxes against her. Their faces are hidden, but he manages to catch shreds of their murmuring, though too muffled to piece together properly.

Byakuya’s heart is still beating far too loudly to properly process anything. He makes an effort to steady his breathing, but his lungs object, continuing with an inconsistent hiccup that’s too harsh to keep quiet. Shaking takes hold, all the way down to his fingers, making it anything but easy to move.

But he does manage it. He scrambles to his feet, and rushes off.

As if he’d ever stay; he needs to regain his bearings, and doing it in front of two people that so greatly dislike him at this moment. But he won’t dare to try and go back to his dorm room. It’s too far from here, and he’ll be dead before he’s caught while so shaken.

So, he opts to go to the biology room. Because like hell anyone is in there, it’s always far too cold and there’s no use for it after school hours. Unless the Ultimate Nurse decides to mess with the items preserved in the lockers, which he doubts she will.

Byakuya marches in, wincing as he’s hit with a blast of cold air. But he brushes it off, closing the doors behind him and moving to the table. It sends a chill through his fingers when he grips it, but he hardly cares. It’ll aid in grounding him, and that’s all that matters.

The next few minutes are spent in silence, Byakuya slowly but surely evening out his breathing. And with it, his thoughts can finally be brought back to order and the events of the past ten minutes processed.

Which are  _ very hard _ to think about, mostly because he has zero damn clue of what was going on for a minute there. One moment he had the upper hand in the situation, and the next he was on the ground, unable to look the boy in the eyes as he prepared to do…  _ something. _

Damn it, he really got spooked by  _ Naegi Makoto? _ That’s pretty pitiful, especially since he got nothing out of it. Just a relationship that’s got even more sour than it had started out as.

Not that it was any relationship. Only Naegi pestering him sometimes, then to each and every day in the past three months, in the vain effort to form something like that. Ah, who knew it’d be so easy to rid himself of that? He just had to touch on a certain experience he’d dug up and…

He frowns, discarding the thought before it can be finished. All that matters is that he got something out of this, and that’s seeing Naegi snap at him and hopefully stopping his efforts to befriend him entirely. Though not what he wants, it’s still pleasing to know that there’s something good to come from being nearly scared to death.

He jolts when the doors behind him creak, Byakuya only having the time to turn around before hands are balling up his collar in a tight grip. “H-hey, get off me-!”

Oh  _ shit. _

The same person that had (debatably) saved him a few minutes before now has him in her grasp, lavender eyes filled with a rare sort of fury. Her pale face is flushed red, jaw set in a ready snarl.  _ “Don’t go near Naegi-kun again.” _ She hisses, her very gaze silently daring him to respond.

“Oh?” He smirks, luckily managing to dig up some reserves of confidence. “And what might you do about it? I have things I need to do, and you putting up a useless threat is not something that might stop me.”

“Didn’t you see how Naegi reacted earlier to you bringing that up?” She huffs, pushing him a step back against the icy metal table. “I’d recommend you  _ not _ set him off like that.”

“Why? Because he’ll attack me?” He scoffs, taking her wrists and forcing her away as best he can. “As if the staff would let that slide.”

Kirigiri studies him with narrowed eyes for a moment, her grip on his collar tightening. It’s thrilling in a way, to see her near the point of punching him. As if it’d matter. It’d be painful, but still a victory in some way for Byakuya, and leaving her with nothing but sour feelings.

But she doesn’t. She backs off, and though her hands are still forming fists, she seems more melancholy than anything. “No.” She replies, arms crossing over her chest as she shakes her head. “Because we both thought you’d be sensible enough not to stoop so low that you would bring up someone’s trauma for a stupid, useless mystery about a wolf only you’ve seen. It’s why I didn’t try to stop you from confronting him about the matter when I got the file from you. Even I had some level of trust in you.”

That fury returns, but it evokes no excitement in the Heir. “When I told him that you probably knew now, do you know what he said?” She takes a step forward, arms shaking just the slightest bit. “He said he trusted you with it. Because he couldn’t think for a  _ second _ that you would use it against him. It’s something… very very sensitive to him, and for you to just  _ throw it in his face-” _

She suddenly takes a sharp breath, before shakily exhaling, no doubt burying back down all those emotions that Byakuya isn’t sure he should’ve seen at all. “It seems we were both horribly wrong.” The Detective murmurs, before turning around and quietly walking out, leaving him alone.

And suddenly, he’s not sure there was ever any victory to be had by doing this.

But… if he ignores it, then that won’t answer what’s going on, will it? He… he **needs** to figure out the truth. And Naegi is still an important part of this case. He just needs to be careful as he goes forward.

Yeah. He just needs to be more careful. That’s all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops! all angst!
> 
> next chapter: byakuya, the ultimate really bad stalker and allure of feral animals


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY IM NEGLECTING ULTIMATE HOPE i just. really enjoy writing smth less intense. i will get back to it soon.

It’s been a week since his encounter with Kirigiri and Naegi, and a day before this month’s full moon.

This has to be the oddest week he’s had thus far. And that’s really saying something when half of everyone within Hope’s Peak Academy is chaotic neutral, at best. It was understandable when Naegi began to avoid him; why he wouldn’t, Byakuya would be more confused by. However, he told no one of what happened between them, and neither would Kirigiri.

In fact, he rarely seemed to talk to  _ anyone _ this week. Any time someone tried to invite him out for something, he’d brush them off with an excuse. And after a while, not even that, leaving in the middle of conversations to go do something else. And more often than not, that seems to mean hanging out with Kirigiri in some way. It’s a pretty open secret that Naegi and Kirigiri are dating, but this is just too much!

And, now that he thinks about it… Naegi gets this way every month, doesn’t he? Once the middle of the month rolls around, he seems to get a tad more standoffish, and now that’s even more so. He’s never really noticed it before, and he kind of thought it might be something else. A time of the month sort of thing, though he won’t ever dare pin it as that out loud.

But now, there seem to be a multitude of new possibilities. And it all ties to Naegi’s nightly “walks” that Byakuya never catches him coming back from.

Okay,  _ maybe _ he doesn’t have enough evidence to support this claim. But it’s still a place to start! Naegi hasn’t ever given a proper answer for these, other than it being to “clear his head” before bed. Which is respectable, but what does he do? Sleep out there? Because Byakuya will be up for hours, and there won’t be any shred of evidence for Naegi’s return each night.

He  _ could _ just ask, but that’s basically a death wish. So, he’ll just resort to a bit of tracking.

And that begins tonight. He has everything he needs, of course; tranquilizer darts, a silenced gun just for those darts, a very big leash, four breakfast bars, and three water bottles. For once, some of his many connections came in handy!

And now that he’s all set, he stands by the school shop, watching out for the boy he has his sights set on.

Just as the sun is getting ready to set and plunge the school in even more darkness than it already is while the lights are turned off, he finally spots a shred of movement. And of course, it’s Naegi, sneaking through the halls as he makes his way towards the door. He seems to be in a bit of a rush, bearing his own bag, though it’s nothing more than a grocery bag. One filled with what seems to be a set of clothes, at that. Odd.

As soon as Naegi is out the door, Byakuya follows after him, keeping his steps light and slow as not to alert the Lucky Student to his presence. It’s difficult however, mostly because Naegi seems keen on running as soon as he’s out of the building. But it’s not hard to track where he’s going.

Because just outside the gate, a car sits at the curb, its black coat of paint making it blend in with the growing darkness. Byakuya darts to the side, trying not to be seen as he draws closer. He manages to catch a few words, something about being late from Naegi that’s waved off by a familiar voice he can’t quite pinpoint.

As soon as the car door closes and the engine revs to life, he peeks out, panicking a little as he watches them go. He can’t lose them now, right when he’s about to find out just where in the hell Naegi is heading off to!

The Heir huffs, running out from the gates and taking a sharp turn left. Rows of bikes sit locked to metal bars, a variety of colors and designs that make it relatively easy to pinpoint which belongs to who. Nearly everyone in the school has one, including Byakuya himself. Usually he’d let someone drive him somewhere, but he quickly realized that wouldn’t work out well since it’s a long drive for one of his servants to come pick him up.

He pulls out his pocket watch, though doesn’t note the time. Instead, he tugs off a key on the chain of it, the hole at the held end of it able to be opened to lock onto whatever he wishes. And since keeping up with a keychain holding about two keys in total all the time would be a hassle, he instead just had this made for it.

He goes over to his own bike, a royal blue bike that he can’t recall the brand of, decorated with a silver emblem belonging to that of the Togami Corporation. Hard to miss that it’s his, and even harder not to guess the price of it must be astronomical.

Not often does he need to ride it, but right now it’s invaluable. He just needs to hope that they won’t be going very far! Unwilling to waste any more time, Byakuya undoes the lock on the bike and gets on, cycling down the road after the car as it speedily drives off.

* * *

It’s a twenty minute drive, and Byakuya is about to pass the fuck out.

Not often does he need to do many physical activities, especially considering that his talent involves an extremely small amount of physical exertion. So having to keep up with a car going at 60 mph for a third of an hour? Absolute hell.

But one must work for what they wish to achieve, and he’s no stranger to working for what he wants. So he trudges through it, not daring to stop until the car finally slows. And it does so at an incredibly odd place.

They park at the edge of Ametsuki Forest, one of the largest forests near Tokyo, and most certainly the closest to Hope’s Peak Academy. It’s often a place stayed away from, but it seems to be a place Naegi often visits.

At night.

When it’s most dangerous.

This is either a whole new level of idiocy for the boy, or he’s committing something probably illegal. One of the two.

Or… maybe a third? He didn’t see Naegi bringing any gear, but his clothes are pretty thick. He could be hiding anything under there. Even guns, perhaps.

…

Holy shit, why is he thinking about this? Naegi can’t possibly be some sort of werewolf hunter or whatever, that’s stupid. And he hasn’t even followed him yet, they’re barely into the night!

Byakuya huffs, focusing back on the car parked just around the curve of the road. The back door opens, Naegi stepping out without his bag… nor any shoes. He gives a chaste bow to the driver, exchanging a few words Byakuya can’t catch before closing the car door and turning on his heel, running off into the woods just as the sun disappears over the horizon.

He only dares to move when the car does, cycling over to the curb the car had just been at. For a few moments he stares out into the woods, studying the trees lining the sidewalk. They loom over him, with thick trunks and long, thin branches reaching out towards the road, like gnarled fingers reaching out for something unknown.

As Byakuya props his bike up against one of these thick trees, he spots the slightest shred of movement beyond the treeline. THe bushes are disturbed by the movement, but even more so by the wind. So surely, it must be that, right? He hears nothing else once the breeze passes by, but perhaps he’ll shine his flashlight out and-

Well, shit. He forgot it.

Byakuya growls in frustration, digging through his bag despite knowing well that it’ll turn up a fruitless search. Of all things to forget to take, he forgets a damn  _ flashlight? _ He grabs a water bottle and downs about a fourth of it, the plastic left misshapen when he puts the cap back on. Well, he’ll just have to work in the darkness then. Because like hell is he making that ride back to the school.

Discarding any forming wariness, the Ultimate Heir marches into the forest with what he has, following any signs of trampled plants and disturbed fallen branches.

And soon enough, he’s following clothes. Naegi’s clothes to be specific, though whether it were Naegi’s or someone else’s doesn’t put him at ease either way. They’re not even neatly put down, either. Each new article of clothing he discovers is more ripped up and torn than the last. Even the hoodie he seems to treasure so dearly despite his multiple copies is covered in long holes, the zipper torn off halfway down its course.

He can’t possibly guess what this might be, but… perhaps he’s being attacked? It’s a possibility, certainly. And one that has a startlingly easy time leaving him shaken. The thought of him getting hurt… well, Byakuya can’t just have that happen. He can’t! It’s just right! Even though they don’t have any sort of friendship by now…

He kind of misses it. When Naegi would hunt him down and talk to him. Even if he was reading quietly in the library, the boy would march in and manage to find a way to spark some sort of conversation. And even if it was one-sided, he had admired such efforts. Even Byakuya is well aware that he’s a challenge to speak to, and he likes to keep it that way.

Naegi had still approached him around this time of the month, hadn’t he? Even if it was for a few fleeting minutes, he’d try so  _ desperately _ to be friends. And the very thought of that makes something in Byakuya twist with an emotion he has yet to figure out.

A loud, vicious howl startles Byakuya from his thoughts, his gaze snapping up from the forest floor to the “path” ahead. It’s distant, but he can tell it comes from somewhere north of his position. Somewhere that Naegi likely is.

“Naegi!” He shouts as he runs towards the sound’s source, fiddling with his bag as he runs. He digs in, grabbing the handgun from within. He quickly checks its ammunition, noting that there’s only two inside it. Two chances before he’ll need to begin the long reloading process, and waste precious seconds that could get him or Naegi killed.

Then, in the midst of his running, something barrels into his side.

He knows what it is before he even hits the ground. Its hot breath hits his ear, and the feeling of a thick coat of fur pressing against his body is unmistakable. But he knows it isn’t the same wolf he’d met a month or so prior.

As he struggles to regain the breath that had been knocked out of him, the animal that’s tackled him snarls, its large silver paws hitting the dirt on either side of its prey. Smooth fur that lies tangled beneath shoves itself hard against Byakuya, taking away his breath once more. But it allows him to turn over, and stare into sharp gray-green eyes filled with a hunger that’s blurred by his own misted glasses.

Its jaws open up slightly, and he knows exactly what’s going to happen when he spots its sharp white fangs. It’s going to kill him. He’s going to die. It’s going to sink its teeth into his neck, and he’s going to die. It’s going to eat him alive, and  _ he’s going to die without anyone knowing what happened to him- _

Another howl rings out, and he recognizes it as the same he’d heard earlier. And though he doesn’t get the chance to spot the source himself, the wolf that has him pinned does. Its lips curl and ears flick back, a snarl at the ready. But it doesn’t make the sound before a blur of brown crosses Byakuya’s vision.

The Heir can’t help but sit up to follow the wolves, watching as they tumble over each other before scrambling away. He stiffens when he spots the brown wolf; it’s the same one he met weeks ago. And somehow, it’s stumbled upon him. And has decided to  _ help him. _

Or make food out of him. He can’t know its motives, and especially not when it’s snapping and growling at a wolf at least two feet bigger than it. And even if the silver wolf seems far thinner than it, to the point that its ribs seem to just barely poke out from beneath its coat of fur, it surely won’t go down without a fight.

The wolves continue on with their attempted shows of strength, but Byakuya decides against staying idle. As if he’d ever do so; he is no wolf. He has no claws to scratch another’s muzzle or fangs to tear flesh away. He is not a beast, a thing ready to pin another down with ease and dig into their insides.

Byakuya has only himself, his wits, and a fucking gun. And of course he’s willing to use all of these things to their fullest extent.

His gaze sweeps the area, snapping to a piece of metal lying by the broken pieces of a branch. Without daring to waste time he begins to crawl over, reaching out for the precious item. But the silver wolf notices its prey attempting to escape, barking as it dashes over.

The only thing stopping Byakuya from getting mauled just as he turns around is the smaller wolf, it darting over to step in between the two. And oh boy, is Byakuya  _ so _ ready to throw up when he is subjected to bearing witness to the next series of events.

It only lasts for a second, but it’s awful to listen to the muffled cracks and pops of bone as they realign themselves into an alternate arrangement beneath the skin. Parts of its coat seem to loosen, while others tighten up, culminating in a change that is subtle for a moment. Solely because Byakuya is blind to it out of sheer horror before he’s slapped with what this just was.

It stands up.

Okay, that’s enough of that. Byakuya’s attention is back on the gun, and certainly not daring to go back to the creature defending him from something just as vicious as itself.

The barks and growls and snarls are going to be burned into Byakuya’s brain at this rate. It’s so much. Like a sound of pure and utter violence that has yet to inflict true damage. He has yet to hear a yelp or a scream, but he doubts he will for long. And he really doesn’t want to hear an animal having its throat ripped out tonight.

Finally, Byakuya just decides to get to his feet, stumbling over and narrowly avoiding a sharp edge of the branch to get the gun. His glasses fall, but he hardly pays them mind, twisting around to point the gun at the pair of wolves. They both struggle with each other, the silver one jumping back and forth to try and bait a hard attack from its opponent, while the one he’s familiar with paces, claws digging into the earth as it continually switches between all fours and hind legs, growing seemingly more and more agitated each gravely sound that rolls from its own chest.

It’s hesitant to hurt the other. Why that is, is not something Byakuya could guess. Just as he can’t guess what had happened last week with Naegi, or where this wolf had been for that whole month howling and making a ruckus to taunt him or whatever. Or literally  _ anything _ to do with what situation he finds himself in now.

Byakuya has never been more lost than now, but if that stopped him? Well, his name wouldn’t be Togami Byakuya.

So he points the gun, and he fires. And he watches the silver wolf yelp at the sound that rings in the ears of those present. And while it misses, it’s enough to scare it.

Byakuya smirks as he watches it turn tail and run off into the forest, leaving the pair to themselves. “Finally.” He murmurs, gun hanging by his side, arm limp. He takes the moment to observe his surroundings; the woods that sit undisturbed, the needle that’s emptied itself into the ground, and finally… the brown wolf, sitting down and shaking itself of leaves and dirt from its thick, spiky coat.

For a fleeting moment, Byakuya considers letting it go. It did, after all, save his life.

But the logical part of his mind is quick to remind him that he cannot let this chance go. This whole night would be an entirely useless endeavor, and he’d be back at square one.

So he glances up at the waxing gibbous of the moon, looks down to the creature lazing about before him, and fires.

… Then, once it’s out cold, he realizes that he’ll need to somehow get this giant wolf thing back to the school.

Damn, he’s stupid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall didnt think i was gonna slam another chapter down so soon, eh? that's the power of dread over needing to do more schoolwork tomorrow and be stopped from doing what you want for ya
> 
> next chapter: a plot twist to byakuya and byakuya only


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh. take a wild fuckin guess abt when i finished this chapter. haha.

Oh, the absolute hell of having to carry a giant unconscious dog on your bike as you desperately cycle your way back to Hope’s Peak, which is 20 miles away from where you are.

That is the hell Byakuya learned of first-hand last night. And it was god awful. But he made it, and he didn’t die while doing it somehow. However, he didn’t manage to find Naegi in the forest, even after sweeping the area for any sign of him for thirty whole minutes! He just seemed to… disappear into thin air. Like he was but some sort of ghost.

Quietly did he send a message to the headmaster over the matter, but not at all did he consider speaking the truth. To do that would mean outing himself for leaving school grounds past curfew. So he only mentioned that he’d heard him talking about going to Ametsuki Forest, and had seen him going out past curfew. Hopefully that might be enough to get them to go searching for him.

But for now, he’s enraptured with the wolf he’s somehow managed to drag into the school and to his dorm. The cameras may have caught him, but that damn guard that watches them is asleep half the time. It’s not at all reassuring to know that the night guard is like that, but if it works out for him, then he’ll let it slide for now.

As of this moment, his gaze is locked on the door to his bathroom. Opposite of the wooden door is a giant wolf lying in the shower. And no matter how thick that door is, it could easily tear it down! So earlier, rather than putting on just the leash and being done with it, he happened to grab some chains from one of the storage closets in the gymnasium, something solid to lock both its legs to the shower head that he prays is sturdy enough to keep it from breaking it off when it wakes up. Whenever that might be.

It’s odd. When he had gone out, he wasn’t all that worried about his own safety. Yet now, it seems he’s wracked with anxieties, feeding himself placebos that may or may not work out in the end. Perhaps he will see by morning, then. If he’s not dead before that time comes.

Fatigue creeps upon his body, slow but noticeable. Every other minute he yawns, his joints sore and eyes heavy from working to get to and from the forest. If he were to forego sleep, he’d surely not have long before passing out entirely. So, Byakuya must put his fears aside for now. It’s better to wake up and feel a tad refreshed to defend himself rather than on the verge of passing out entirely.

Often, he had felt safe beneath the thick blankets of his bed, but he can’t help but stare at the bathroom door, even as his eyes flutter closed and he is forced into unconsciousness.

* * *

There is screaming coming from his bathroom.

He could hear it. Just as the early hours of the morning began to arrive, he was awoken by something in his bathroom. Something he prays is the wolf, as it howled and snarled in the bangs and rattles of chains against cold, hard tile. It was horrifying to listen to, to lay there and try to tune out the cracking of bones and tears of skin as they shifted back into their places, befitting something human.

But whatever was in there, whatever screamed and yelled and cried, it was, and will not ever _be_ human. He can’t imagine it. Not after what he saw of it that night, and especially not after what he’s heard this morning. Something that just wouldn’t let him go back to sleep.

He lies there for an hour, listening to the muffled shouts and cries coming from the bathroom. He’s utterly frozen in place, forced to listen to whoever is sitting in his bathroom now cry out for whoever might be around to free them. At least, that’s what he guesses. It’s hard to tell what is being said by them, their words muffled by the expertly sound-proofed walls that won’t let anyone but Byakuya hear them.

He’ll have to go in there eventually. He can’t just… keep them there. The only thing worse than a werewolf chained up in his shower is a dead body chained up in his shower. And he’d prefer not to have his reputation ruined like this.

It’s 6:34 AM when he finally decides to get up. They sound like they’ve worn themself out with their constant shouting, if the silence is anything to go by. He can hear the chains shifting occasionally however, so he knows they’re likely still up. But even if they’re still in chains, he can’t bring himself to just… go in there. He needs a weapon!

And that weapon will have to be the flashlight he forgot to bring with him last night. It’s a bit bulky, certainly enough to knock someone out if he gave it enough force and landed a good hit. Hopefully all of that bike riding last night made him stronger for this though, because like hell he’d stand a chance against a werewolf.

To creep towards the door is to waste time, so Byakuya marches over and unlocks it, gently nudging it open with his foot. He expects something that looks inhuman, certainly. With fur and fangs and claws and so many _signs_ that he’s some monster. Something below him, farther than the commoners he’s forced to interact with each and every damn day.

Instead, he’s met with the spiky hair, hazel eyes, and short stature of Naegi Makoto, naked and chained in his bathroom.

“... Hi?” The boy quietly greets, waving a hand that rattles the chain curled around his wrist.

Byakuya stares for a few fleeting seconds, drops his flashlight, and then has to fight a mental breakdown.

* * *

The initial panic had been chaotic, much to Byakuya’s annoyance. He should be better than that! But then again, who _wouldn’t_ freak the fuck out when seeing one of their classmates chained up in their bathroom? It’s just weird! And even weirder to know that he’s... 

“So you’ve been trying to hunt me down, huh?” Naegi laughs, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. I, um… I’m sorry?”

Naegi Makoto was the damn werewolf the _entire time._

“Yes.” Byakuya hisses, standing over the boy that sits on the closed lid of the toilet, a towel tossed over his crotch. “And why didn’t you ever come back into the school? I heard you howling damn near every night, but any time I found a trace of what apparently was you, you and Kirigiri have gotten rid of it.” He begins tapping his foot against the tile floor, a bit glad to finally let out all this frustration over the constant searching for what was right in front of him the whole time.

“Well first of all, I can’t remember anything from when I’m a wolf.” Naegi replies with a shrug, much to Byakuya’s displeasure. “So whatever I was doing, I have to go off of second-hand accounts or just like… videos, I guess. And those were the nights that I couldn’t be taken to the forest, so I just kinda had to make do around here. S-sorry for causing so much trouble.”

“It’s… alright.” Byakuya huffs, glancing around the room as he thinks over what he’s learned. As well as trying to ignore the scars that litter Naegi’s skin, like old stains on a book’s pages. Multiple on his arms and shoulders, with one on his right leg… not quite matching what he had read, but it’s enough evidence to prove that there’s some truth to the report he bore witness to. “So, what of Kirigiri? And who takes you there each night?”

“K-Kirigiri-san knows, she usually helps me out during the day to make sure I don’t, uh… lose it a little. Wolf instincts start flaring up around full moon, and they get really hard to manage.”

“Oh really?” He quirks up a brow, surprised for once. “I had thought it was… a time of the month sort of thing. But like, human.” Perhaps a bit too blunt, and certainly nowhere near Byakuya’s usual elegance, but what else is there to say?

He wishes there _was_ something else to say, because it manages to get quite the chuckle out of his “captive”. “S-sorry, I’m so sorry…” He chokes out between laughs, a sound that makes Byakuya’s heart flutter as much as he’s filled with displeasure. “Y-you thought it was… that?”

The Heir makes an attempt to remain stoic, a sharp dismissal forming on the tip of his tongue. Yet it quickly dissipates, turned to something hardly of himself, face flushed red with embarrassment. “W-well, what else was I supposed to think? Your mood changes with the phases of the moon?!”

That only makes the boy laugh harder, Byakuya left to wait until Naegi can finally hold himself together. “O-okay… okay, I think ‘m good now.” He wheezes, tugging the towel over himself a little more. “B-but um, it makes sense I guess! I’m only a bit snappish on the first day of that, but uh… it’s just werewolf stuff.” He shrugs, gaze sweeping the bathroom. “Also, could you go get me some clothes? My door is already unlocked.”

Byakuya pauses, then nods. “Yes, of course. I’ll be back shortly.” Damn it, has Naegi been uncomfortable this whole time? There’s actually no refuting that, but he almost always has his binder on. And Byakuya just completely forgot that…

There’s no good to come from dwelling on it, however. If Naegi brought it up now, then it might just mean that he’s cold or something. Which makes perfect sense, the Lucky Student isn’t ever seen without several layers of clothing on. And during the summer! It baffles Byakuya whenever he thinks of it, even after being around him for several months now.

He walks out of the bathroom, making a beeline for the door, only to be startled when it rings. “Damn it, Naegi close the bathroom door!” He shouts to the boy as quietly as he can, wincing when it’s slammed in a panic. Good enough, though. He grabs the doorknob, opening it. “Yes?”

A man dressed in a garish white suit and hat with orange that Byakuya wishes he never had to catch anyone wearing stands in front of him. “Hey.” Kizakura casually greets, tipping the brim of his hat to the Heir. “Was just wondering if you have any more information on where Naegi might’ve gone. Can’t have the kid missing for long, bad for the headmaster’s nerves.”

Byakuya huffs, arms crossed over his chest. “So are you not worried about Naegi’s well-being?” Odd that he’d pull out that reasoning first rather than, you know, worrying for his _safety_. “I can’t say I have much else, though. You’ll just-”

“Kizakura-sensei!”

Byakuya snaps his attention to the bathroom, tensing when he sees Naegi peeking out the door, one hand holding up his towel while he waves to the man at the door, perked up like an excited puppy, to the point where Byakuya _swears_ he can see his ahoge wagging. “I’m alright! Togami-kun knows now, but he’s okay with it!”

Kizakura chuckles, peeking over Byakuya and nodding. “Alright then. Guess you two are good then?” 

Byakuya can’t help but sigh, turning back to face the vice headmaster. “Yes, we are.”

“Good. Then here’s the clothes and H-Pad he left in my car.” His arms are suddenly filled by a grocery bag of clothes, Naegi’s pin poking a hole into its side. “He’s got some food in his room too, so no need to get him to go to breakfast. Now lemme go tell Kirigiri-kun the kid is alright, the man’s been panicking ever since he saw your message.” He says with a chuckle, giving one last wave of his hand to Naegi before walking off down the hall.

Byakuya glances left and right out into the hall as Kizakura goes, before slamming it shut once more. “I… don’t suppose the whole of the school’s staff knows about your little affliction as well?”

Mako- _Naegi_ gives a sheepish chuckle in response, scratching his face. “Just the Kirigiri-sensei and Kizakura-sensei. So, um… you’re the fourth person that knows now. Which is actually amazing, with how clumsy I can be about it.”

Shit, then Byakuya should have been able to figure it out even _earlier_. Absolutely fucked up. “Okay then. Here’s your clothes. Go get dressed.” He walks over and dumps the bag into the crook of Naegi’s free arm. “And feel free to take a shower, I don’t want you tracking dirt through my dorm.”

Naegi falters for a moment, looking up at him with wide, unreadable eyes. That quickly dissipates however, giving way to the boy’s usual skittishness. “Th-thank you!” He stammers out, scrambling back into the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

Byakuya blinks a few times at the odd exchange, thinking it over. He quickly dismisses it with a huff however, even if he’s mirroring the blush that had appeared on Naegi’s face in that second. “And stop slamming the door!” He shouts, sitting back on the side of the bed as the muffled sound of the shower being turned on permeates throughout the silenced room.

It doesn’t take long for Byakuya to grow bored, however. Only 5 minutes in, and he’s already _aching_ to have answers to his questions about Naegi’s lycanthropy. It’s absolutely fascinating; how much does he differ from the werewolves depicted in the media? Are they their own sort of society? Is he aware of how many more there might be? He’s at the precipice of uncovering something not known to the public, and his tie to it just so happens to be his very own classmate.

He’s extraordinarily close to simply writing out a list of questions to give to Naegi to fill out himself before the shower’s water shuts off, a bit of stumbling heard in the bathroom soon after. There’s a yelp and a loud smack that Byakuya decides against checking on - he’s had enough naked Naegi for a day to make him blush at the thought - before he finally emerges from the bathroom, hair slicked down by water and ahoge just barely staying up from his scalp.

“Naegi.” Byakuya stands up from the bed, looking down upon the boy with sharp blue eyes.

He brings up his towel and rubs it over his slick hair, only pulling away once it’s dry. “Yeah? What’s up?” He asks timidly, hair already popping back up to its usual spikiness, ahoge included.

“Do you mind answering some of my questions? I’m sure you understand that I’m quite interested in your affliction, and I’d like to learn more about it.”

Naegi seems taken aback, likely because of just how polite Byakuya is being right now. Which honestly, he’d hardly thought about it. Maybe Naegi _does_ deserve a bit of an apology however, and he’ll give it silently and through actions that could just barely allude to such. The boy quickly nods however, a smile on his face.

“Well first of all, it… isn’t an affliction. It’s something just part of me, and even if it has its cons, I don’t want people to call it some sort of illness.” He says with a shrug, eyes averted away from the Heir. “I really don’t want people pitying me over it or treating me any differently over something that’s an aspect of me.”

There’s a pause, and Byakuya quickly realizes that he’s expecting an answer. “Y-yes, that’s understandable.” He wouldn’t want to be viewed as weak just because of a small disadvantage either, though his own interpretation of that might be different in some aspects. “But? Do you mind my questions? I’ll try to be careful this time, I can’t have you running off.”

Naegi nods, a small smile on his face. “Thank you, Togami-kun.” He replies, hopefully getting his small hint. “And I can go ahead and answer your questions! It’s not like I’ll be able to hide anything for l-”

He’s interrupted by a faint buzz, something Byakuya quickly notices also comes from his bedside table. The pair both reach for their H-Pads, Naegi pulling his out of his hoodie pocket and Byakuya scooping up his own from the table, checking the notification on the home page.

“Oh jeez, first period is about to start!” Byakuya hears Naegi squeak as soon as he lays eyes upon the 2-minute late notice, shoving the device back into his hoodie. “S-sorry Togami-kun, I don’t want Kirigiri-san worrying about me! Can we talk about it after classes are done?”

“Of course.” Byakuya nods, tossing his own H-Pad on the bed. “I won’t be arriving for first period, but I’ll be there at the second.” It’s not like he really needs to be working on English when he had a private tutor teaching him it since he was ten.

“Alright!” Naegi nods, darting for the door with a burst of energy that Byakuya briefly debates is perhaps something of a werewolf. Then he remembers that people run and also have bursts of energy not alluded to previously, so maybe not. “I’ll, uh… see you later! Bye!” He chirps, opening the door and skipping out.

And now, Byakuya is alone. And _oh,_ the sheer amount of things he needs to think about is… too much. Too many things.

His thoughts are immediately upon Naegi. And once he’s focused on the boy, he just can’t seem to stop being so zeroed in on him. It’s so sudden, really. This bout of obsession, started over a chance meeting with a wolf hanging around the dorms.

It isn’t actually sudden though, is it? No, no. He’s thought of Naegi multiple times. Mainly in debate club, but lately that’s branched out into his daily life. He’s a little enigma. How can someone that was raised in a middle class home, lacking anything more than the most standard education available to the public, with a family that has nothing off about it or its history(other than the werewolf incident) and the only things setting him apart being his hair and luck, be so damn good at debating with people over stuff? He’s had training over this, and Naegi just matches his level! Or at least, he’s going to pretty soon! It’s wild.

Plus, how in the _hell_ did the genes align to make him so damn cute?

Byakuya can’t bring himself to stop turning this little fact over in his mind. He can’t help but think about Naegi’s eyes that always seem filled with a trustful adoration of those around him, the soft chuckle of a laugh that escapes him in a way that’s just as timid as his personality, the curl of his lips as they form into a smile that leaves butterflies in the pit of his stomach. It’s intoxicating to think about. It’s intoxicating to think about, and even more so to see in person, without the need of unreliable memories that will blur at their edges far faster than he can manage to keep it in prime condition.

And he’s… well, a bit cute as a partial wolf, too. Or at least to Byakuya’s imagination. The little ears, the tail, the _fangs._ It makes Byakuya shiver when brought to mind, the craving to pet him suddenly overwhelming. It’s been so, _so_ long since Byakuya has gotten to touch a canine without it snarling at him. To be able to be close, to be able to pat his head and scratch behind the superior set of ears atop the boy’s head in the early hours of the morning, tugging out something like a purr, or a hum of satisfaction. Perhaps a shudder, or a plea or a _beg as he lets his hands drift down, down, down past his-_

Byakuya squeaks at his own almost-fantasy, face covered by a sharp heat that he’ll be sure to agonize over in the coming hours. Gods, what in the hell was _that?!_ He shouldn’t be… thinking about Naegi like that. He shouldn’t! He’s a werewolf, not some toy to be played with! Even if it’s a tad cute and all, he’s not one to think like… like _that_ sort of person!

Byakuya may have it bad for Naegi Makoto, but to be a furry? That’s just downright impossible. If he were that, then, well, he’d certainly not be doing very well in popularity once it got out! So he’ll be sure to make sure it’s no problem whatsoever in the future.

But for now, he needs to finish up an essay. That he could’ve done last night if he wasn’t a fool. Damn it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> internalized homophobia is out, internalized furryphobia is IN  
> next chapter: kyoko, makoto, and byakuya have a very serious meeting to talk abt wolf stuff and byakuya internally panics the whole damn time


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pog!! another 3 am post :)

“So you really kept Naegi-kun chained up in your bathroom all night, hm?”

Byakuya sighs, leaning against the small round table he, Naegi, and Kirigiri sit at. “Yes. I did.”

She smirks with an amusement that makes Byakuya crave to commit violence, leaning back in her seat. “Interesting. And Naegi-kun?” She turns her attention to the boy in question, who fiddles with the strings of his hoodie idly. “How was it?”

Naegi seems to only begin paying attention once more when there’s a lull in the conversation, looking between the two of them, then dragging his gaze around the library before daring to speak. “Wh-what did you guys say?”

Kyoko’s expression falls back to its neutral state, the Detective quick to correct her posture. “Nothing that matters.” She glances to Byakuya, watching him intensely. “Now then, should we get to business?”

Relief passes over Byakuya in a blissful wave, now hopefully free of Kirigiri’s incessant teasing. “Yes, I’d rather  _ enjoy _ the chance to get through whatever nonsense you wish to tell me.” He tugs at the cuffs of his suit, grateful that it’s after school hours; the bland beige and crimson uniforms have all been sent off to the laundry room for the day, running their cycles to be used upon the morning of tomorrow.

“I-I mean…” Naegi sits up, finally deciding not to focus upon anything else to avoid Byakuya’s harsh gaze. “It’s kind of important, Togami-kun. Th-there’s a lot of things to know now that you, uh,  _ know _ about my whole thing!”

Kirigiri nods, tracing a gloved finger over the binder by her side, stuffed full with papers of unknown content. “Yes, it’s something you’ll want to know about. Since you’re aware of it now, it may create unsavory complications.”

“Oh?” That’s a quick way to attract a bastard’s attention, Byakuya peering at his classmate with suspicion. “May I have an example or two then? Or are you going to leave me in the d-”

“You might be hunted down and brutally tortured.”

And that’s an even quicker way to silence a bastard. The tallest of the three looks at her blankly for uncounted fleeting moments, before getting up from his chair. “I know nothing about this then. If you two are done wasting my time, then I’ll be going no-”

“Ignoring your problems won’t get rid of them, Togami.” Kirigiri huffs back, lavender eyes rolled to be cast upon her friend, the person that is most certainly not Togami Byakuya. “You’re close to Naegi-kun. You’ve been looking all over the school for clues to this. And right when you grow close, you suddenly drop interest altogether. That would be suspicious to someone, would it not?”

Byakuya frowns, turns, and looks to Naegi, bearing an expression filled with worry. “She’s right.” He says nervously, fingers digging at his plain jeans. “There’s a reason we’re so careful about when I go out and where I need to go when night comes around.”

That only leaves him confused, but inevitably intrigued. “And why’s that?” He replies sharply as he goes to sit back down, brow knit with his irritation. “Does the headmaster and vice headmaster not make sure there’s no danger to you here?”

“They can only do so much.” The werewolf replies, kneading the surface of the table with a look of sorrow. “There’s always people that want to hunt people like me down. There’s other people that know about the existence of werewolves, but think we’re too dangerous to live, so they try to hunt us down. It’s hard to block out those sorts of people when werewolves are still widely known as some fairy tale monster, so we have no laws protecting us.”

Kirigiri nods, glancing over to the Heir once more. “If he were killed as a wolf, he wouldn’t change back because his genetics that would conduct such a change would not trigger. Thus, he’d be deemed a simple animal death, and not looked into all that much. Or, in a highly more likely case, he’d be used for his parts and only deemed missing without resolution.” She stays unfazed by Byakuya’s shocked expression, arms crossed over her chest. “It’s incredibly easy for Naegi-kun to be captured or murdered and his killers never brought to true justice. So I’m sure you understand why we wish to be so cautious about people knowing of his secret.”

Oh, he understands. And he most certainly does now, far better at imagining the consequences of his choice to try and pretend none of this happened. Clearly, he’s caught up in something far worse than a simple werewolf case, and it seems he can’t do shit about it. Great.

“Well then, tell me. What  _ do _ you want me to do? I can’t continue to keep up my guard each night and pretend that I’m hunting down a werewolf!” Eventually it’ll become something far more well-known, and he doesn’t wish to risk ruining his reputation by looking for a werewolf that people believe is fake any longer.

A beat of silence passes before anyone speaks up, Byakuya for once not very glad that he has Kirigiri stumped.

Then, for once, Naegi decides to bring up a sensible idea.

“What if we did a setup?”

Kirigiri is immediately upon it, eyes narrowed. “Too dangerous. Faking the discovery of a werewolf would just end up putting you at even more risk of being discovered, as well as attracting more attention.”

“What if I  _ didn’t _ participate though?” Naegi stands up from his seat, nodding to the door. “Tanaka-kun has wolves, and some look similar to me. They’re not  _ big _ , but they’d still be perfect for a case where Togami-kun goes out and discovers it. He can take a picture, make something up about remembering it as bigger because of how late it was and some potential mix-up from being hit in the head that night, and it’d be a perfect excuse for him to give up on it!” Naegi finishes off with a cheery tone, hands laid flat on the table in a bout of excitement. And  _ again _ , that damn ahoge is wagging. And his nails are… sharp? Are they usually-

“Maybe we should go with something safer.” Kirigiri chimes in before Byakuya can say anything proper in response, shutting the boy down and ridding him of his enthusiasm. “We have time to think about it, and more options may open themselves up to us in the future. Right, Togami?”

Now, Byakuya  _ would _ usually side with her. In fact, it might be the smart thing to do! But when he looks back over at Naegi? He can’t help but blurt out his answer.

“His idea is good.” The Ultimate Heir huffs, much to the surprise of Naegi. “I’d rather end this as soon as possible. Besides, any plan we come up with will have risks.”

Kirigiri sighs, nodding. “Yes, I suppose so.” She stands up from her seat, glancing between him and Naegi. “I’ll go and speak with Tanaka about the matter. He doesn’t know about Naegi-kun’s lycanthropy, but I’ll come up with a reason for us to borrow it for a night. Which means we can discuss this more after I get what we need-”

“Togamicchi!”

It takes everything Byakuya has to not dive beneath the table, all eyes flocking to Hagakure as he bursts in through the double doors. He jogs over in a manner not too different from an excited puppy, but unlike Naegi, it does nothing but increase Byakuya’s dread. The table shakes as the Fortune Teller slams his hands down upon its wooden surface, dark brown eyes wide with excitement.

Byakuya merely huffs, glaring at his classmate with contempt. “Could you not bother me at another time? If you can’t already see, I’m currently quite  _ busy _ with more important matters.”

“But Togamicchiiii!” The grown adult whines, shuffling closer with little regard for Kirigiri and Naegi. “There’s some sweet intel I just got! About-” He seems to suddenly become aware of his surroundings, ducking down and whispering to Byakuya with a hand blocking the exchange. “About the whole  _ werewolf thing _ .”

As annoyed Byakuya is by the interruption, he’s also intrigued, standing up from the table. “And… who might have given you this intel on werewolves?” He says in an intentionally loud whisper, attracting the attention of Kirigiri and Naegi both.

“Oh, some guy that’s come to me for a few fortunes in the past.” He replies with a shrug, explanation utterly useless. “Does it matter?”

“ _ Yes _ of course it matters- ugh, okay, look. I’m not believing any of what you might tell me until I see them in person.” He replies with an exasperated sigh. “Try and get them to meet up with us somewhere. Outside the school and in a crowded space, preferably.” He’d set up a meeting himself, but like hell he’s going to leave in the middle of  _ this _ conversation. 

Hagakure nods, cheery smile staying put on his expression. “Alright then Togamicchi!” He chirps, turning to Kirigiri and Naegi. “Bye Kirigiricchi! Bye Nae- woah!”

The man’s eyes widen, Byakuya snapping his gaze over to whatever might be causing a commotion. And  _ god damn it Naegi has wolf ears. _

The brown-furred ear flick back from their perch on the top of his head, pressing down against his hair of the same color. The Lucky Student’s eyes widen, seeming all the more panicked as he reaches up and pats his hair, made aware of their existence. For a few fleeting moments, silence.

“I don’t see why you all are so surprised.” Kirigiri pipes up, the only person not appearing to be surprised in the slightest. “Naegi-kun is just testing out a new machine an upperclassman made. And I suppose it works, right Naegi-kun?” She glances over to the boy in question, putting him on the spot.

“... Y-yeah!” Naegi finally replies, nodding vigorously at the shocked Hagakure in front of them. “D-dunno what they’re for, but they uh… respond to emotions and stuff!” He’s quick to hide his hands in his hoodie pocket, calming down as he continues on. “Can’t really uh, talk about it since Souda-kun wants me to keep quiet about it. So can you just forget about it?”

Hagakure stares for a moment longer before nodding, calming down from the shock he’d just endured. “Oh, sure Naegicchi!” Brown eyes fall back on Byakuya, who has already internalized his curiosity over the new set of ears “So you want me to go do that or-”

“Yes, you can go do that.” Byakuya replies briskly, shooing the man away. “Now leave. We can discuss it more later, but right now I’m busy.”

“Okay, okay!” Thankfully, the Ultimate Fortune Teller begins to back off. “Bye then!”

The other two at the table give their own goodbyes, somewhat dismissively as Hagakure finally closes the doors. As soon as he does, Kirigiri reaches over, tugging the hood of Naegi’s jacket over his head. “Didn’t you set your alarm for that?” She hisses, Naegi whimpering in a silent apology.

“Wait, wait.” Byakuya leans against the table, staring at the werewolf incredulously. “When  _ do _ you turn into a wolf?” This question has been  _ long _ overdue, he knows that now. And now that he’s been roped into this, Byakuya most certainly deserves this important tidbit of information.

“Every night!” Naegi chirps in response, fiddling with his hoodie to presumably make sure the ears stay hidden. “I change as the day progresses, so by like six at night, I’ll have a tail and stuff!” He opens his mouth, pointing out the particularly sharp fangs that have replaced his canines, as well as the usually flatter teeth by their sides. “Once it’s completely dark and the moon is fully out is when I transform. The timing can fluctuate a little, so I have to be careful and plan ahead most nights.”

“Well, what of tonight?” His stare lands upon Kirigiri, who also happens to have her narrowed gaze trained upon him. “Is he going to a forest again?”

“No.” Kirigiri replies for Naegi, finally flipping open the binder that’s been sitting by her this whole time. “Naegi-kun can recall bits and pieces of each night. It’s not much, but usually any moments of strong emotion or pain will stick in his memory upon morning. He told me of the wolf he had likely fought last night, and since you managed to follow him there, the only forest within an hour’s drive isn’t safe anymore.” She sighs, her annoyance not fazing Byakuya in the slightest. “And much of the time Kizakura-sensei isn’t able to take him to far-off places. Last night was an exception because he had nothing to do.”

“Really now?” The Ultimate Heir scoffs. “You, as well as the headmaster and vice headmaster, have known of this for some time now, yet none of you have a solid plan for what to do with him each night?” He understands that it’s a troubling situation, but surely there must be  _ some _ way for him to get to somewhere safe each night.

“T-Togami-kun, there’s people hunting me.” The brunette murmurs in response, wringing his hands. “It’s hard to keep all of this under wraps. If a werewolf hunter finds evidence of this, then they’ll…”

“They’ll try to kill him, no matter what.” Kirigiri finishes, flipping to another part of the binder. She turns it around, sliding it over to Byakuya so that he can actually see just what in the hell they’re talking about. “Those are all the names we’ve found of people that have claimed to be hunting werewolves, with descriptions and photos in the case that we spot one.”

“But what’s the danger?” He asks, not looking up from the papers as he looks over them. There’s a few police reports sprinkled in, these people found by both wolves and humans, the wolves in particular sometimes seeming far larger than what’s normally found in the wild around the areas these deaths occurred at. “I understand that there’s people willing to hunt down things the public deems that of fantasy, but there must be some way of avoiding them. And it’s not like they can get into Hope’s Peak to kill Naegi.”

“Yes, I see your point.” She replies, but looks no more pleased than she does now, which is not at all. “But I also know that you likely don’t understand just how far people are willing to go to complete their goal.”

Byakuya rolls his eyes, sneering at the Detective. “I’ll have you know that I’ve worked  _ quite damn hard _ to get to my position. So to accuse me of-”

“Everyone works hard for what they want, Togami.” She retorts, much to Byakuya’s annoyance. “These people have their own wish to eliminate werewolves. Most seem to be in this scattered group for the purpose of eradicating the “threat” to humanity, but it’s easy to guess that some are solely there for the excuse to hurt others. Either way, they’re quite passionate about it, to the point of raiding buildings and hurting others that might hide who they suspect to be a werewolf.”

Naegi nods, humming in agreement. “I e-encountered one before, I think. Pretty shortly after I started showing signs, someone came up and pulled a gun on me.” Green-hazel eyes flit over to lavender ones, filled with emotions that flit by too fast for Byakuya to identify them. “I met Kirigiri-san that day, actually. We didn’t keep in much contact, but we’d run into each other from time to time.”

“I was following up on a lead in a minor case for my grandfather at the time, which was the only reason why I happened to be in his town. Not even a day after he was threatened with a gun, Naegi-kun had roped himself into a cat chase.”

“And that cat was very important!” Naegi defends quickly, much to Kirigiri’s amusement. “An older man lost her, so me and a few friends were supposed to get her back! But they abandoned me right before I actually found the cat, so I was left to chase her around the town-”

“Until you followed it into a dumpster in an alleyway, whereas it closed on you and the cat, then was held shut by a large pair of various vcrs and tvs someone put there soon after and was too tired to put inside the dumpster, as it was the middle of the night.”

Naegi merely laughs, scratching his face. “But hey, you found me the next morning when the cat was crying for help! Besides, it’s not like I was doing something really pointless or anything…”

Kirigiri scoffs, brushing back a strand of hair behind her ear. “Like that time when you tried to deliver a dollar back to someone, only to manage to topple a pyramid scheme in the process?”

Before Naegi can chime in with a response, Byakuya stands up, sighing. “As interesting as it is to listen to these inane stories you two have gotten into, I think we need to stay on the matter at hand.”

Naegi’s eyes widen, a light blush dusting his face in a way that almost makes Byakuya slip up with his cold demeanor. “O-oh jeez, I’m so sorry Togami-kun!” His stare is cast down, embarrassment clear to all present. “The hunters are, uh, really dangerous though… they don’t care if you’re an Ultimate either, the only protection from them is if you’re on their side, or not involved at all.”

“That’s why we’re keeping talk of this to secluded places. I’ve ruled out that any of our classmates are in on it, and while I’m still suspicious of a few upperclassmen, they’re not often prone to staying in the school for very long after class hours are over with. But that doesn’t mean we’re completely safe.”

“Other staff?” Byakuya can at least assume that they’d be somewhat harder to deal with, considering the lack of interaction they have with students most of the time, as well as the social limitations they have of studying them.

“Correct.” Kirigiri takes the binder back from Byakuya’s side of the table, closing it back up. “We can talk again later tonight. Meet us in the garden at 7:45 if you can.”

“Why so late?” He casts his icy blue stare to Naegi, suspicion creeping in. “Shouldn’t we be meeting at a spot where you can transform safely?”

Naegi again glances away, fiddling with his hoodie strings. “We’re probably gonna have to settle for there tonight. Kizakura-sensei is busy, as well as Kirigiri-sensei, so it’ll be hard to go anywhere without someone getting suspicious and trying to follow us.”

“Besides, you said it yourself.” Kirigir rises to her feet, moving to slide the seat back beneath the table. “Staying inside Hope’s Peak is our safest option.” She looks to Naegi, looking him over thoroughly. “Go get something to eat and do whatever you need to do. I’ll go into the garden at 7, and you can go in at 7:25.”

“A-alright!” He chirps, obediently getting up and rushing to the door. “Bye Kirigiri-san! Bye T-Togami-kun!”

Byakuya gives a barely noticeable wave, while Kirigiri gives nothing at all, both watching the boy until he finally leaves. “So.” Kirigiri starts crisply, gaze still trained on the doors. “You like him.”

Byakuya hates that he  _ chokes _ when she says this, having to clear his throat to regain the ability to speak. “Wh- how…” He shoots the sharpest glare he can muster at the girl, hands gripping the table’s edge. “How… did you  _ guess?” _

Her smug glare mocks him in the momentary silence, only made worse when she finally replies. “I didn’t. It was a total shot in the dark. And you fell for it.”

He knows and abhors that she’s relishing his barely contained wrath, it taking a great deal of effort on his part to stow it away for the time being. Maybe instead of studying he’ll go and pummel a punching bag or something after this. “Well, I suppose you know that now! What do you plan to do with this information, if I might ask?”

His snarl goes utterly ignored, Kirigiri responding as if she were without a care in the world. “Nothing, really. I just think it’s interesting to know.” Her gaze wanders the room, settling on a camera for a fleeting moment before landing back upon the Heir. “What do you plan to do about your crush, hm?”

“First of all, it’s not a  _ crush.” _ It’s baffling, how childish even people like her can be. “And second of all, that’s something for me to know the answer to, and only myself.  _ Not _ you.” She is, in fact, the  _ last _ person he’d trust with a secret of his. Mostly because she has a likeness towards blackmail that he wants to say she’s picked up from a certain local “foreign” gambler. 

She merely grins that vile grin of hers, walking away from the table. “Okay then. Can you answer me this, then?” She turns, and as she does, dread begins to pool in Byakuya. Their relationship is odd, but mostly on the sour side, so to be forced to interact with this wretched person… ah, it’s a sort of hell all of its own. And now, he has no doubt in his mind that she’ll try and pin him down for something else-

“When’s the next debate?”

Oh.

“You forgot?” He sighs irritably, already pulling out his H-Pad.

“Didn’t get an email for the new schedule.” She replies to a shrug. “I’ll ask for a resend tomorrow.”

“I’ll just send it to you, actually.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Byakuya nods, sending her an email with the image of the month’s calendar for Debate Club “Is that all? I have notes from the last one if you need them.”

“No thanks, already have them written down.” She turns away, marching towards the double doors with binder in hand. “See you later.”

Byakuya doesn’t reply, watching her go. And  _ finally _ , he’s alone. Maybe he’ll take the time to read a book, or think over recent happenings… or maybe just write all the shit he’s learned down. That’s… yeah, that’s definitely a better idea.

  
Though, he can’t help but be a  _ little _ excited over all of this. Not everyday someone gets to figure out that something he thought nothing more than a conspiracy theory is actually truthful. Not even himself… nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hagakure bit of this was not great i think, but im still happy with the chapter over all  
> next chapter: byakuya gets to watch a very lovely lad turn into a very lovely wolf, and he might get to talk with a bastard while gaining a greater understanding of the true enigma of this hellscape; yasuhiro


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe what's up :)

Byakuya  _ really _ hates this damn garden.

Again, it absolutely eliminates any sense of smell he might have, but now is tinged with the lovely, sour scent of wet dog. A foul one that rouses up old memories, plagued with a bittersweetness he rushes to put away. He cannot dwell upon such things; not now, when there’s many other topics to think over.

“Togami-kun!” Naegi shouts with excitement as he draws near to the bench positioned opposite of the garden’s shed, decorated with flowers and vines that are quite real, as he’s found out before. “You came!” He practically barks in his excitement, and is… oh yes, he’s panting like a dog. Fantastic.

Byakuya scoffs, gaze flitting to Kirigiri, who sits unmoving upon the bench closest to the door. “Of course I did.” He looks over Naegi for a fleeting moment; is he taller? “As if I’d abandon an event such as this.”

Kirigiri looks over, and he knows well from the passive smile she wears that he would not have had a chance to evade this, even if he wanted to. Naegi’s smile however, lacks such ill intent, and makes his heart flutter all the more. “Th-thanks for that then, Togami-kun!” He chirps, before turning back, and-

Byakuya blinks, unable to hide his surprise before it forces itself upon him. “Is that a tail?” He asks without elegance, and wow! He really will just see a person with a tail and become braindead in moments. Because that is, without a doubt, a tail. And not fake, with its shade of brown the same as the owner’s hair.

The smaller teen squeaks, tail flipping to lie between his legs. “Y-yeah…” He replies shyly, face flushed with embarrassment. “It’s, uh, the final thing that’ll pop up before my transformation. Which is in…”

“Seven minutes.” Kirigiri finishes, standing up from her seat. “You need to go ahead and undress. I’ll lock the doors.” She then pulls out a key, utterly insignificant in its presentation. Yet, by that logic, it must be the skeleton key for the entire school. Why else would the headmaster’s daughter have it if they were to potentially be forced to move to another room, and why else would it look so generic, if not to hide its nature?

Byakuya sighs, going over to sit down on the bench as the pair busy themselves with short tasks, avoiding the fur likely shed by Makoto when he had been sitting here minutes before. “So, then.” He begins, watching Makoto rush behind a thicket of plants that have yet to be trimmed from the edge of the stone path. “Do you really plan to keep him here the entire night? Is he not turning into a giant, at least partially feral wolf soon?” Byakuya isn’t an expert on the nature of wolves, but he’s quite sure they aren’t particularly keen on staying away from their natural habitat, nor the freedom that comes with it.

Instead of answering him verbally first like a sane human being, Kirigiri instead walks over, sits down, leans over, and pulls out a tied up trash bag of meat and a green collar connected to a leash from beneath the bench. “We’re keeping him here. He’ll be fine.”

“What the actual hell, Kirigiri.” Byakuya sensibly responds, looking over the two items with contempt. “What meat is that? And why the leash?” He has plenty more questions, most concerning her sanity, but at this point he will simply have to bring it no acknowledgement. He can answer that himself, and he’d prefer not to have Naegi worry and come out to give them pleading looks to stop “fighting” before he goes through whatever violent transformation that comes upon him each night.

“Pork.” She stashes the bag beneath the bench once more, likely so that Naegi won’t immediately tear into it as soon as he’s become a wolf. “And Makoto told me to put it on him during nights like these. Makes him feel safe, and it seems to calm him down at night quite fast.”

“... How would he know this if he doesn’t remember what happens each night?”

Kirigiri merely shrugs, but they both know that this is a subject they won’t touch on. If it makes him calm and out of the mood to commit murder, then that’s alright. Besides, it’s not like his wolf form could get off on that right? He’s just, like, a wolf at that point. Or just a domesticated wolf, if a collar and leash makes it happy.   
  
There is a thick silence that settles between them, partially interrupted by the background noise of fabric rustling, as well as the flickers of color as fabric is tossed away. He watches with a captured interest - ah, he wears a white dress shirt beneath all that - and notes what he sees. May as well, the boy has literally been given people’s underwear on the occasions that he’s become close friends with them(which has happened a lot by now), and accepted it with enthusiasm. He’s sure Naegi wouldn’t mind if he catches sight of his star-speckled boxers. He’s sure he’ll see them again, but with himself taking them off rather than being nonchalantly shed for the night ahead.

His wandering thoughts are reigned in before he can go down darker streams of it however, which has its pros and cons. It, of course, will provide a distraction from the thoughts plaguing him concerning Naegi. On the opposite side of this is the circumstances of it, which even Kirigiri jumps at just the slightest amount. Nothing compared to the chill that rushes through Byakuya, but something that makes him not feel alone, nonetheless.   
  
_ “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!” _

A scream unlike any other he’s heard tears itself through the garden, keeping Byakuya in place. He can only stare at the shrubbery that Naegi has taken refuge behind; elegant and trimmed to perfection, freshly grown buds readily to bloom in its leaves. And hidden by it is someone that writhes and squirms in an agony Byakuya could almost feel, bones and flesh crushed and skin obscured. It’s a messy thought, and he’d prefer the more scandalous thoughts encroaching upon him than the ideas that come to mind as these noises fill the room.

Byakuya doesn’t register that he’s gotten up from the bench before Kirigiri is forcing him down. Not with the physical sort, but simply a hand, outstretched. A barrier he cannot deny in the slightest, in this desperate moment. “He’ll be fine.” She hums, her gaze set on Naegi’s spot despite it hidden from view, expression wrangled to something resembling calm. “Give him a few minutes. There is nothing to help him.”

Despite it not being in Byakuya’s nature, despite none of this being in his nature so vehemently focused upon the self that concerns his own, he sits down. He sits down, and he watches, and he waits. Grits his teeth through the groans and whines and whimpers and growls. For what it is is something he cannot control.

The wolf that stumbles out of the bushes is like Naegi, he supposes. It bears his hairstyle, his eyes, his shyness. Yet he hardly can separate it from the ferocity he heard earlier. Its very existence, born of an angry, angry curse determined to tear away at a boy without just cause. Is it even Makoto at this point? Is it even partially human anymore?

The werewolf huffs, stretching casually, as if it’d just woken up from a comfortable nap. There are a few final pops of its joints, earning a wince from Byakuya that goes ignored by those he accompanies. With heavy steps it walks over, plopping down in front of the bench Kirigiri and Togami are sitting at. He can only stare at it, but the Detective hums, a barely hidden smile on her face as she leans forward, latching the collar around the fluff of his neck. Even at its largest, it strains to keep together around the thick pelt, though it seems the wolf hardly minds. How odd.

It then lets out something again to a growl and a bark, hardly anything more than a lazy declaration of affection before it begins teething at the leash. “Hey, don’t do that.” Kirigiri murmurs, gently patting his head. “It’s expensive, you know.”

The wolf whines, saliva dripping from its jaws as it lets the leash go, tugged back to Kirigiri rather quickly. “There we go, good boy.” She says in a hushed voice, the wolf like putty against her gloved hand that curls behind his ear.

This is… odd. Very odd. For the only times he has bore witness to this wolf, to this opposite side of Naegi, were both short and chaotic. Once in the dead of night, whilst he was half-asleep and, embarrassingly enough,  _ terrified _ even when he was petting it, and another time while a wolf was attacking him. It had shown care and passivity both times, but it still bewilders Byakuya every time he sees it act so…  _ not _ like a wolf.

“You’d think he’d been domesticated in the past, with the way he acts.” Byakuya comments offhandedly, earning the attention of the dog-wolf-thing. It -  _ he _ practically waddles over, resting his chin on Byakuya’s leg as if he’d just run several consecutive marathons. He doesn’t blame the werewolf; Byakuya is sure so much fur weighs heavy upon his body. “Do you think we could shave him? He appears awfully h… warm.”   
  
Kirigiri again smirks like the bastard she is, at least giving a proper answer for once. “I believe his sister may have “tamed” him, so to speak.” She reaches over, gently scratching Naegi’s neck, earning a soft boof in response. “As for shaving, I believe he told me how it went once when he and his sister had been dealing with this alone.”

“And?”

“He just had hardly any hair in the morning. May not wish to risk even a light trim.”

_ Holy shit, _ what a thought. He banishes the image of Naegi like that from his mind, focusing instead on the wolf in front of him. Byakuya sighs, gently petting him just as Kirigiri does. It clearly elevates his mood, Naegi nearly earning a chuckle from the heir as he knocks his head against his palm. “Don’t be impatient.” He chides, flattening one of his ears to lie against his temple. The wolf huffs, doing the motion more insistently with a quiet bark, eager to get at his hand for… some odd reason.

Byakuya watches Makoto put a paw down on his thigh still panting away, utterly oblivious to the world around him. Oh to be a werewolf, blissfully unaware of your monstrous nature and getting scratches behind the ear by the Ultimate Heir himself. What a life to live, were it not so tragic in its past.

“So have you asked him out yet?”

“You know.” Byakuya hisses back, his subconscious smile and joy decimated when he recalls Kirigiri’s presence. “It’s just not the right time, that’s all.”

The detective’s brow quirks, her amusement infuriating as always. “That’s it, huh?”

Byakuya merely nods, his attention drawn back to Naegi, who now has both front paws on his thighs, drooling in his attempts to lap at the hand that gives him such comfort. “Of course. I hardly have time for such things, something you must understand.”

She scrolls through her H-Pad, tapping it in a way he must presume is a text to someone. He only hopes it’s the headmaster or vice headmaster, and not another student. “You won’t have any time at all with that attitude, you know.”

“I will.” Byakuya scoffs, ignoring as she gently pats his thigh, presumably some kind of signal to the werewolf attempting to cuddle up to him. Hopefully to warn him that Byakuya can, in fact,  _ not _ support his weight. “Please do not tell me that  _ you _ would try to confess to someone when you nearly spilled their most important secret.”

Kyoko rolls her eyes, scooting away the slightest bit. “Do you believe Naegi-kun holds it against you? Do you truly believe that?”

“Yes.” He replies in an instant, temporarily stopping his scratching to point an accusing finger at her. “He’d be an idiot not to.”

She laughs at that - has he ever heard her laugh? It’s a soft, but slightly awkward sound, holding the texture of a flower’s soft petal but clearly lacking in its use. He’s not sure of whether he should be shocked or embarrassed by hearing it at all. “Don’t you call him an idiot at least once a week? Also,” she nods to the wolf, who’s whines have now reached Byakuya’s ears, “watch out.”

He has no chance to even question her before a heavy weight presses upon his legs, thighs forced to endure the intense force of a werewolf putting all of its power into its two front paws as it forces itself up onto Byakuya’s lap, his weak squeak of pain muffled by the large amount of fluff covering the giant wolf. Perhaps that’d be a blessing, were Kirigiri not so perceptive. 

“Naegi-kun, down.” He hears the Ultimate Detective command rather sharply, earning another whine before obedience - or what he hopes is a conscience - shines through, Naegi backs up to place each paw placed firmly on the bench instead, before plopping down to lay across Byakuya’s legs in a manner slightly more comfortable for the both of them.

Byakuya offers something of a thank you; a nod, utterly silent, before continuing on. “What do we do now, then?” His fingers curl into Makoto’s fur, digits sinking in without resistance. “I’m a busy man, as I’m quite sure you know, and don’t have the time to spend my night with this dog.” She doesn’t give a single damn about whatever Byakuya is saying or wanting to do, that he knows. There’s a distinctly lacking need for him here though, at least in his eyes.

Kirigiri leans over, the sound of plastic rustling attracting both boys’ attention. Byakuya can’t help but shift with discomfort when he notices Naegi beginning to drool, tail thumping against the bench’s arm. There’s a show made of Kirigiri pulling out a slice of meat, blood still dripping off it with its freshness. “You can spend an hour or so here.” She tosses the meat up without warning, the wolf nearly jumping forward to snatch it out of the air with his jaws.    
  
“Hey!” Byakuya shouts, scooting a bit further away now that Naegi is being a bit lighter on him. Not too far though, as he’d prefer to be nowhere near the tail snapping left and right at an ungodly speed as he devours the bloody meat. “I’d rather not be walking out of here with  _ blood _ on my suit, you know.”

“I know.” The young detective smirks like the bastard she is, leaning back and crossing her arms. “So, gay for Naegi-kun huh?”

_ “Not for him.” _ Is what Byakuya hisses in response, and does not bother to correct himself despite the embarrassment of it. “He’s somewhat respectable at best, and at worst a moron that got lucky.” His nose wrinkles, eyes narrowed with silent venom as he scratches the wolf’s back, paid little mind other than a happy “boof”. “How am I supposed to know he even likes men, anyways?”

“He literally came out to us all in the first month of the school year, Togami.”

His gaze flits back to her, narrowed now with confusion rather than contempt. “Wait, really? I had been ignoring him then, did he just…?”

“Yeah.” For some reason he feels like shit now, seeing her so disappointed by his response. “Right at the end of third period, while everyone,  _ including you, _ was still in there. I suppose that explains why you didn’t say a word while everyone was supportive of him.”

He scoffs, rolling his eyes. “I would have been supportive were he not so painfully dull I had to erase him from my mind to keep a hold on my brain cells before they died of boredom.”

“Honestly all of us thought you were homophobic back then.”

“How did that opinion change, then?”

“I’m ace, Togami. And it’s not that hard for even people without a talent to make a good guess.”

The conversation ends with a mumble of a curse beneath his breath, and a distinct lack of triumph or excitement radiating from Kirigiri. That’s new. “What, did you want a better fight from me?” He scoffs again, hiding his face in the mound of fur on his lap. Another bark, and it’s not yet alarmed. He hopes that “yet” won’t ever be relevant. “I’m not particularly interested in conversation.”

“I’m not interested in conversation. I’m interested in answers.” The change in tone is audible, and the mood is quick to shift to accommodate it.

He does not feel the need to face her as he answers. “... You’re so serious about this, hm?” He gives the slightest head tilt, if to catch her gaze in the corner of his eye. She sits upright now, any friendliness gone from her posture and expression.

“Naegi-kun is my friend. If there’s someone that has a crush on him, I’d like to know.”

“Why?” He faces her again, glaring harshly. “Do you plan to tell him about it?”

_ “No.” _ She huffs, holding out a gloved hand. Makoto is on it immediately, hitting his head down against her palm, drooling onto it as if he were getting high just from her lavender scent. “It’s so that I can give a little push when you’re way too slow. Which may happen soon, since with the way you plan to go, he may just decide on a different man or woman.”

Byakuya pauses, ruminating on her words. And then, to what he hopes is her displeasure, he grins. “Am I, and I mean this in the most sincere way possible, perchance… competition to you?”

She answers it with a very forced casual attitude, though it could be easily mistaken for her trying to figure out how to be casual still. Not every attempt at learning is a success. “No. Naegi-kun is very dear to me, and I’m just making sure he’ll be okay with the person that triggered an episode for him.”

There is venom in her voice then, and the mood drops quickly. He shuts up at that; she’s right, though he won’t dare say it aloud. Instead, the heir’s attention wanders, inevitably landing on the werewolf’s scars, able to spot a few faded scratches on his flank. They’re like little ravines, deep scores into what he faintly wishes was pure, unharmed skin and fur. He can’t imagine how his legs must look.

He can’t get sappy now, though. Not when there’s movement out of the corner of his eye, and the now familiar sound of plastic rustling being a fair warning. “Just tell him, you idiot.”

Byakuya makes a sound he wishes were more graceful, gets out a single syllable of the wretched word she’s described him with, and is slapped in the face with a slab of meat.

Immediately there’s barking, and he can hardly help but scream in terror as paws press to his chest, sharpened canines trying to peel the bloody steak away from the man.

“Naegi-kun, down!” A humored voice shouts, and the sound of thrilled snarling and claws threatening to pierce his suit ends with what he presumes is a tug of a collar. Deaf to all else in his panic, Togamin reaches up and peels the meat away, eyes narrowed to keep the blood out of his eyes, as well as glare at the cause of this.

It is then that he registers her laughter, high and sharp. The smell of lavender is pungent, as well as the strong, wild pine that often exudes from the werewolf that’s sat patiently at his shoes. Somehow, it manages to make him  _ flustered, _ of all damned things to be. Why, he can hardly say, but he knows that the warmth of his chest is not that of Makoto’s lingering body heat.

His brow furrows, attempting vainly to stay appearing furious at them both. “Well-” He coughs, wiping droplets of animal blood from his lips in a way he hopes does not appear… odd. “Y-you’ve  _ both _ had your fun with me for the night. Now-”

There is a loud, obnoxious buzz, and it is swiftly answered by Byakuya. Oh, just as he was about to excuse himself to a shower, someone fucking wants him?

“Togamicchi!”

He only wishes he had more of a limit to how much he could take. Maybe then he could just hang up and take a damn shower.

“What do you want now?!” He yells as he steps away from his current companions, earning a panicked squeak from Hagakure.

There’s an odd sort of noise in the background as the older student speaks, and he’s far too overwhelmed by his annoyance to identify it. “S-sorry, Togamicchi! Just, u-um…”

“Hm? Spit it out, what the hell is it?”

“It’s… th-the guy…”

“Huh?” He cocks his head to the side, tapping his foot with an expression of incredulousness. “How do you expect me to kn-”

Oh shit.  _ Oh shit it’s the werewolf guy. _

Byakuya snaps his gaze towards Kirigiri, then Naegi. “... Thank you for telling me.” He replies, not daring to stop and let Hagakura speak after his excited gasp. “Send me the address of our meeting place, I will be there immediately. And do  _ not _ say anything stupid.”

“Yes sir!” The fortune teller chirps, and the line is only beeping soon after. Byakuya huffs, turning off his phone and shoving it in his pocket.

Kirigiri’s gaze is cold, but curious. “Will you meet with them?”

“Of course.” He replies quickly, stepping past Mako-  _ Naegi, _ despite his excited, and quickly disappointed, whines for attention. “I won’t say a word of this, however. It still may prove valuable, this information.”

He hears an accepting hum, though does not pause as he heads for the door. Not until her voice chimes in again. He expects a threat, to be truthful. Perhaps a wish for him not to go altogether.

“... Be careful.”

He is surprised, and cannot say whether it is the pleasant sort or not.

He sighs after a moment, and nods. “I will be.”

Kirigiri says nothing more, watching the man leave with a click of the garden door’s lock.

He’s only halfway down the hall leading to the stairs when there’s a near silent ring, thankfully not that of a phone call. A text, and thankfully, from Hagakure.

‘meet @ jaeza’

He reacts with a sneer at the sight of the text. He’ll have to teach the man to be at least somewhat more formal with his conversing. Especially when they’re at a high-end restaurant such as Jaeza.

‘What time? I’d like to know how long I have to make myself better suited for a dinner such as this.’

‘oh man uhhhhh

like 12?’

Byakuya frowns, glancing to the time of the message’s sending.

_ Sent at 11:46 PM _

… He now wishes he knew what he’d done to piss off the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO sorry this took so long, and SO SO SO sorry this is kinda rushed. kinda braindead rn bcs of Things so yea. just wanted to get smth out that i enjoy  
> next chapter: NOW they're gonna meet mr exposition dump, and perhaps pay a price for it. perhaps it will be the thousands of yen hagakure is spending on food and alcohol for every second byakuya is not there


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> long time no see bitches. just gonna drop this here. ok bye

“Sincerest apologies for the short notice.” The deep voice of the man across from the pair of teenagers hums, pouring himself another cup of fresh coffee. “I’m going out of town in a few hours, but I’d hate to miss a meeting like  _ this.” _

Byakuya is surprised by this, to be honest. Not the fact that the man accepted, he expected this from who Hagakure rather confidently informed him was a “verified expert with a degree and everything” on werewolves. No, he’s surprised that he’s actually someone of a higher worth than the average commoner. Not quite near Byakuya himself, but enough to be able to afford one of the most expensive restaurants in Tokyo and some decent clothing for the event.

Still, this “Moriyama Kenta” isn’t someone he’s heard of before, and thus has little reason to earn any Togami’s immediate respect, most of all the damn heir’s. “And why would that be?” Byakuya asks slowly, narrowed blue gaze trained on the man opposite of him. It’s out of a bit of suspicion, but he mostly wishes to make sure he’s not been invited to dinner with an insane person, with the companionship of an utter idiot.

“Well, do you see many people believing werewolves exist?” The man snorts, rolling his eyes as if it were the stupidest question he’d ever been asked. It might be too, which is something that doesn’t hurt Byakuya’s pride in the slightest, especially with his following words. “Too many vampire enthusiasts out there! I can see how it overlaps, but come  _ on.” _

“I… see.” Togami takes a slow sip of his water, taking a cautious glance around the restaurant. Moriyama chose a more secluded booth thankfully, nestled into a corner and away from the striking views the floor to ceiling windows have to offer of Tokyo’s night. There’s few that’ll bother to take a look over, nonetheless bother to try and tune into their conversation. At least, he hopes so. There’s only so much interaction Byakuya can find himself handling a day. 

“W-well…” Hagakure swallows hard, clammy hands gripping his loose-fitting pants. “Do y-you-”

“Believe in them?” The eldest of them cuts in, tone abnormally cheery. “Oh, hell no! I believe they must have been an old variation of werewolf, or werewolves mistaken for some monster of legend while murdering someone for a meal. Stories evolved as werewolves evolved, and a bunch of subsections cropped up to be the many different monsters we know today.”

That sounds like complete bullshit, to be truthful. But Byakuya knows not to offend someone that’s so willing to offer info, even if they’re a rival in the end. One he doubts will be dangerous however, with the way this conversation is going. Besides, maybe it’s better if that were the case. He’d much prefer the chance that there were werewolves mistaken for other creatures, rather than things like vampires and spirits also being around to meddle with their business.

“So, should we get down to business?” Moriyama sips his tea, staring at them both expectantly. “I can’t spend too long here, as my schedule is still tight. I can spare maybe… an hour?”

Hagakure’s eyes light up at that. “Oh man, that’ll be plenty of time! Right Togamicchi?”

Byakuya only replies with a silent nod, gaze wandering away from his peer. There’s little else to look at however, and with an inability to let his thoughts wander, he returns to the matter at hand. “Then let’s get this over with. What do you want out of this?”   
  


The man seems appalled that he’d even ask such a thing, audibly gasping. “I’m purely here to spread my own knowledge of what most dismiss as nothing more than a myth! It’s a great danger, and I can’t imagine trying to get anyone, nonetheless  _ minors, _ to pay for such life-saving information.”

The first thing that comes to mind when he mentions “life-saving information” is, of course, Naegi Makoto. Who is very,  _ very _ harmless. But his next thought wanders to the night he realized that Makoto was a werewolf, which was tied to a run in with a rather vicious thing that may have also been a werewolf. So perhaps this information will prove useful after all...

Hagakure is the one that replies this time, visibly quaking beside him. “R-really? Oh man, have I been in danger a-all this time?!” He begins to quake with terror, seemingly on the verge of having a panic attack right then and there. And, despite Togami’s better judgement, he puts a firm hand on his shoulder. Anything more would be far too embarrassing, but a bit of grounding might help.

“Yes!” Moriyama chirps, seemingly oblivious to the high school student’s terror. “Werewolves don’t attack terribly often in cities, but there’s been plenty of cases to say that the danger is still prevalent!”

“Quiet.” Byakuya snaps at the man before he can continue, voice quiet but sharp. He allows the silence to stagnate between them, keeping a good grip on his peer until his shivering finally lessens enough to only be from the chill of the night. “If werewolves present such a danger, then should we not get on to their weaknesses? Any easily accessible weapons or items that can be used against them?” If the need arises, he’ll at least be able to both defend himself and spot any potential dangers to Naegi.

His eyes light up, clearly thrilled to be talking about this at all. He must have a keen interest in these things. “Yes, yes! But I think we should get to werewolf  _ types _ first. There’s plenty of varying species, and plenty of differences between them!”

Oh fuck, this is gonna take a while. Like hell he’s staying here for a whole lecture on werewolf species. “I’m sure it’s all very interesting but I would much rather that we get to the point. Any major differences would be the only part of this useful to us.”

That appears to upset him, sighing deeply in a silent display of discontent. “... Fine then. I suppose there’s only some details of note about them. Three specifically.”

Very few, but also easy to recall. That’s certainly favorable, due to his own lack of paper and pen, as well as phone battery. “And what might they entail?”

“Mainly the time when they transform. Some have more control than others, so it varies, but there’s three strains we’ve identified that differ that drastically.” He nods to the windows at the opposite end of the restaurant, the empty night sky lit up by Tokyo’s undying light, flanking the waxing gibbous moon. “It’s not a full moon, as you can see, but I’m sure there’s already a few oversized or humanoid wolves out and about. Those that transform every night are pretty easy to hunt down and kill, since they’re suuuuper obvious, y’know?” He grins, eyes glimmering with a silent excitement. “You two have probably met one too. They’re not very common, but seem to be so attracted to Tokyo.”

“R-really?” Hagakure shudders, sweat rolling down his brow. “So… I could’ve taken the fortune of a werewolf? At any time?!”

“Wouldn’t be surprised!”

There’s a thankfully quiet wail of misery from the older student, and truthfully, Byakuya can’t find himself able to blame him. It’s an unnerving thing, to have talked and interacted with someone and not know that they’re not entirely human. That’s certainly something he experienced for quite some time, and may have experienced prior to entering Hope’s Peak. He can’t say it’s a terrible truth, however.

“You two accepted that yet? Sure damn hope so, because there’s worse stuff.” Bastard. “See, those types can be even more vicious during the full moon! But nowhere near as powerful as a werewolf that transforms  _ only _ when the moon has waxed entirely.” Moriyama shudders, running a hand through his curly black hair. “Those things… they’ve hurt quite a lot of people I’m close to. But they’re much easier to deal with, as they’re not nearly as tough while human.”

The laugh that follows that statement is chilling, despite its mundane tone. He treats the act of killing werewolves as such a mundane task. But how many of them are just people that aren’t searching to hurt anyone? How many are willing to keep themselves isolated and hidden, just to make sure that those close to them don’t have to live with the fact that such creatures like them exist? Does this man know that he’s the very reason people may be getting hurt by werewolves, when they’re only terrified of dying due to something out of their control?

He continues on without noticing Byakuya’s growing discomfort, humming happily. “Then there’s werewolves that can just do whatever they want! They can fully control their own forms, bear aspects of a wolf at any time, and are generally very, very dangerous creatures!” Of all things,  _ this _ is what he says with a cheery tone and an elated smile. “Though even they can’t resist the full moon, so they’re still catchable! And definitely killable!”

“We don’t care about killing them.” Byakuya huffs, arms crossed over his chest. “We only want information, and nothing more than that. If we wanted to hunt down such creatures, we’d certainly join you.”

“Maybe you will someday.” He chirps right back, giving the heir a harsh stare. “Then I suppose we’d be better off learning about their weaknesses? Even if you have no plans to take one on at this time, one of those monsters might decide you’re quite the snack.”

“Do silver bullets work?” Hagakure pipes in, eyes wide with curiosity. “I have a stash of 'em I got online! Maybe those could help, I’ll just… need a gun.” His expression sours considerably, no doubt lacking the funds to gain access to such a weapon. Perhaps Byakuya would provide it to him, if he bore a better track record with his earnings.

“Nope, total bullshit stuff.” Moriyama shrugs, leaving the other man crestfallen. “It was just a placebo made by generations to make themselves braver, though it backfired. Not that it matters, because normal bullets work fantastically well. Very slim weapons like rapiers work extremely good against those with thick pelts, but they’re even better when they have rust! Those creatures are completely immune to diseases, and have very thick skin beneath, so it still has to be pretty sturdy. Difficult to manage, but my associates have been able to create such useful weapons.”

“Hm, interesting.” Togami nods, taking note of the information. Maybe he should start carrying around a rusted knife or something like that, just in case he gets attacked by a feral wolf again. “Is there anything easier to get a hold of, however? Perhaps something that won’t involve carrying a dangerous weapon on my person at all times?” If Hope’s Peak found out, they’d most certainly confiscate the item. At the end of the day, the place is still a school.

He seems to ruminate on that for a moment, leaning back with a finger curled at his chin. “Well… I suppose you could always get ahold of some wolfsbane. I know there are shops online that sell rings with the roots laced into jewelry, with a scent that only werewolves can pick up. Mattering on the potency, it can either make them dizzy or be knocked out cold. Very useful items, as if a werewolf touches an item treated with wolfsbane, then they grow pretty sick, and have the potential of dying from it. That is a slow process however, so I can’t say it’s terribly useful.”

_ Definitely _ noted. If Makoto ever gets sick, he’ll at least know the most likely cause. He sighs, flagging a waiter for another refill of his water, of which had been mindlessly sipped throughout the conversation. And… christ, it’s only been ten minutes? “I’ll search for a ring that has the plant’s roots inside it then.” He then turns to Hagakure, who seems to be thinking for once. He only hopes it’s about their current discussion. “I suppose you would want something, wouldn’t you?”

“Eh?” The man looks right back at him, pointing a finger to his chest. “Y-you’d buy one for me?”

“Better to get it over with now rather than watch you try and beg for someone to give you the money needed.”

Byakuya regrets this immediately. “Oh, thank you dude! I promise I’ll pay you back someday!” He declares, when they both know it will take years, and that’s counting on him not being murdered by those he’s in debt to.

… It’s not like his family desperately needs the money. “Is there any other information we need? Or may we go?”

“Well…” Moriyama hums, gazing out at the windows that show a mere peek of the night air. “I suppose there’s little else to say, but really? Leaving so soon?”

“Yes.” Byakuya stands up, taking a final sip of his water. “I have things to do tonight, and I’m sure you’re a busy man.”

“But I’m hu-”

“There’s food at school, Hagakure.” Byakuya shushes him immediately, moving out of the way so that his peer can scoot out from the booth seat.

“Ah, well-” Moriyama stands up as well, digging through the pockets of his rather loose-fitting pants to pull out a small card, handing it to Byakuya. “At least keep in touch. If you ever run into one of those damned creatures, we’ll be ready to help you at a moment’s notice.” He then smiles, and it is anything but kind. “We’re rather spread out, you know. If there’s a werewolf, then we’ll know quickly.”

Despite his better judgement, Byakuya hesitates, then hastily takes the small slip of paper, shoving it into his pocket. He could be a valuable ally, but also a terrible enemy. He’s not sure of how to take all of this yet however, so a night to think will do him well.

“Oh, and be safe these next few days!” The man yells, waving his hand to the pair as they rush to the elevator. “A full moon is coming up, and I’d  _ hate _ for anyone to get hurt!”

Byakuya looks back once, only to catch a glimpse of Moriyama appearing to be observing the booth he and Hagakure had been sitting in with keen interest. But his nerves buzz with discomfort, and without daring to speak another word here, he flees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter:byakuya complains about school for a quarter of the chapter, then :) "hangs out" with kyoko


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had a bit of trouble with this chapter, but!! im thinking it's good still? will be expanding more upon the dynamic between byakuya and kyoko in the next chapter, so this one is more of the introduction to it. idk im very tired

It’s a long night and a short morning.

Kirigiri doesn’t even let him return to the garden to check on Naegi, turned away as soon as he moved to open the door. Perhaps it’s because it was dangerous at the time to see him, but it’s more likely that she could see just how tired he was. That meeting had taken its toll rather quick, and embarrassingly, he was left drained by the tension and large amount of information.

Byakuya’s night lacks much sleep at all however, so he spends it dwelling on what he’s gathered, and trying to sort out the truth of it all. That guy seemed a bit insane, if he’s being completely blunt about it, and yet there’s little reason to simply forget his information. Because it may have _some_ truth to it; he only needs to double-check with Naegi. If he can find the time, that is.

It seems the boy is more busy than ever, just when Byakuya requires his attention. Any moment he attempts to speak. One of three things happen whenever Byakuya gains a chance to speak to the lucky student: he’s late for class, someone(Kirigiri Kyoko) needs him, or he happens to remember that he has a test tomorrow or homework. It’s entirely bullsh- _idiotic,_ and the very idea that this has happened ten times this past week on _coincidence_ is utterly infuriating.

Still, as a student of Hope’s Peak Academy and the Ultimate Heir, he has his own busy life to tend to as well. And thus, after his routine had been skewed by his sudden fixation on a giant wolf(a.k.a Naegi Makoto), he’s back to getting ahead on his talent-based work. Every Ultimate has something specialized for them, and his own is… running a fictional company, via emails and paperwork created by the many staff members that prepare this type of work for all of the students attending this damned place. It’s certainly not a perfect simulation of what being a CEO is like, but it suffices.

At least now he has the chance to get ahead on his schedule once more. He’s sure the people creating all of this work for him was glad for the chance to actually prepare large amounts of work in advance while he worked at a steady pace, rather than watch him go through a week’s batch in two days and have obscene amounts of free time until next week, when it’d repeat once more. Now, he’s sure there’s a month’s worth of paperwork and emails just waiting to be sent automatically, plenty of things to do. So, so much work.

… It’s stupidly boring. Byakuya really hates this, for he knows everything he needs to do in most, if not all of the scenarios dropped upon him. It surely runs upon a course of problems cropping up due to whatever he says or signs in this work, yet they must force the problems in as to train him for things that he has already learned. What’s even the point when he breezes through it all? Have they not gotten the point after all this time?

He sighs, finally forcing himself away from his desk, chair unable to move an inch in response due to the carpet flooring of the dorm. Byakuya dreams of the day they stop and think for once, and realize that he hardly cares about any of this. It offers nothing, he gains nothing, and they earn nothing. A pointless cycle that aims to prepare him for the hopelessness of capitalism, presumably.

Despite his frustration over the work laid out before him however, a knock at the door sends his nerves alight, a sharp response to whoever is at the door resting at the tip of his tongue. He needs no distractions right now; he never does actually, but this time especially so. He has no plans to fail any part of his schooling here, and as grueling a task as it may be, the amount of time off he gets for finishing this alleviates the terrible time Byakuya finds himself experiencing with it.

“What do you- oh.” Togami stops as soon as he swings open the door, greeted with the sight of someone he at least _slightly_ respects. More than the rest of his damnable class, at the very least. “There’s a doorbell, you know.”

“Yes, but I thought knocking would differentiate me from other “nuisances,” as you love to call our peers.” Kirigiri hums, arms crossed over her chest. “Do you have some spare time? I need to talk to you.”

“About what?” He replies just as quick, fingers still curled tight around the doorknob. “I have work to do, and I’m quite sure a detective’s work is never finished. What could you possibly want with me.” A tiny voice in the back of his mind silently prays it has nothing to do with Naegi. “Have I been mentioned in one of your cases again.”

She smiles. “Maybe,” she says smoothly, and his heart drops at the thought of another annoyance plaguing him today, before his mood is quickly brought up once more, “but I’m saving that for later. There’s actually a more pressing issue that I need to ask you about.”

What the hell? “What’s more pressing of an issue than _murder,_ Kirigiri?” She always has murder cases. Mass murder cases, sometimes. He _knows_ she has that to take care of, she mentioned last night before they parted ways that she’d likely not appear at all for the day because of it! Yet here she is, asking - no, _demanding_ he indulge whatever pointless topic she wishes to hear of from him. Sometimes she can provide a good conversation, but at the moment he feels only impatience.

“Come meet me in the garden.” The detective turns away, seeming deep in thought as she takes her leave. Byakuya is a fool for expecting more from her, even as she turns the corner.

“... Well I suppose I’m going to the garden.” He closes the door, accepting his fate. He knows he would never do this a few weeks ago however… has Naegi made him soft?

Byakuya scoffs at the very thought, discarding it no sooner than it appears. He only accepts this due to curiosity, nothing more. Besides, the chance to escape his work is one he may just take today.

At the thought of such work, he takes a glance at his computer, daring to peek at his email.

_Ten new messages._

Yeah, he’ll take Kirigiri’s offer.

* * *

“You didn’t even bother to bring an umbrella?”

“You didn’t bring one either.” Kirigiri calmly retorts, casually strolling through the rather large and well-curated garden Hope’s Peak has to offer. It’s not the one inside the school of course, but the one that sits just behind the school building, accustomed for smaller, much less… _unique_ plants. “It’s only a light drizzle. Surely you won’t melt from that?”

Byakuya huffs, rolling his eyes at her little joke. “Am I the only one you tease?” He’s seen her interact with other classmates, and has yet to see her treat anyone even remotely like she treats him.

“There’s also Naegi-kun.” She brushes a few strands of hair back behind her ear, rain rolling down her pale skin and slowly soaking into her jacket. “You’re both easy to mess with. It’s fun.”

“I didn’t expect someone such as you to have an eye for “fun,” or whatever stupidity you deem as such.” She seems unfazed by the comment, much to Byakuya’s annoyance. “What have you dragged me out here for anyways? If you didn’t hear me before, I have work to do.”

“You appeared more frustrated than usual when I last spoke to you. Do you _want_ to do that work right now?”

Byakuya is dead silent.

“Right.” Kirigiri suddenly stops, glancing over at a bench they were just about to pass. It sits just at the back of the garden, with a good view of the bushels of hyacinths, daisies, lavender, and yet more plants that decorate the finely tended flower beds that flank the diverging paths of the garden. “Let’s sit down. I think we may be here for a while.”

“Really?” Togami doesn’t dare argue with her this time, sitting down on the wet bench. He needs to take a shower later anyways.

His peer nods, crossing one leg over the other. “What happened last night?”

She’s asking about that? It is something of interest perhaps, though she may not find his answer satisfactory. “Very little. Some man talked about werewolves, and while I hardly believe much of what he spoke of, I plan to speak to Naegi about it.” His gaze sweeps the area as he says this, as if expecting Naegi to pop up at any moment. If he can disappear at the exact moment Byakuya requires him, he can appear at any time as well. “Why do you care?”

“I’m only curious. I’ve yet to meet anyone that knows more than Naegi-kun himself knows about his kind. Any detail could be quite the help.”

He shrugs, relaxing in his seat. “I have no plans to give false information. Once I know exactly what’s true or not, I’ll speak of it to you.”

“Anything Naegi-kun knows, he’s already told me, actually. Would double checking with him do you any good?” She has a point, annoyingly enough. She offers no chance for him to reply however, quickly questioning him once more. “Who did you speak to?”

Now this is a far more understandable question. “Moriyama Kenta. He mentioned that he kills werewolves, and has a group that aids him in this pursuit.”

Kirigiri clearly dislikes this reply. Her expression shifts to something tinged with panic, sitting up a bit straighter. “You told him nothing about Naegi, did you?”

“ _Of course not._ What do you take me for, an idiot?”

“Sometimes.” She ignores the way his face flushes red with anger, running a gloved hand through her long, lilac hair. “It’s far easier to attract unwanted attention than you think. Don’t do such a thing again.”

“I had no plans to.” He sneers, standing up sharply. Rain water drips from his clothes, though isn’t quite enough to be unbearable. “Do you truly believe I’d put Naegi in danger?”

“You could on accident.” She retorts just as fast, rising to meet his stare. “I’ve heard that name before, Togami. I don’t quite recall where I heard it from, but I’m certain you’ve caught the eye of someone incredibly dangerous!”

“I had no choice in the matter!” Byakuya’s voice rises in volume, tinged with a snarl. “It was a chance to gain information, and I took it. It’s natural to take risks in business, and this is no different.”

“It’s entirely different, and you know that.” Kirigiri practically hisses, eyes narrowed as their argument only escalates. “We’ve trusted you with this secret. _Naegi-kun_ has trusted you with this secret. And already you’re putting everything we’ve worked so hard to conceal at risk! Perhaps it was a _mistake_ to let you learn about this.”

“Oh?” Does she think she can just say these things and intimidate him? Byakuya isn’t someone that’s easily intimidated, and he will _not_ bend to her will due to such a simple situation. “And what will you do about me, hm? There’s nothing you can do about me!” He takes a step closer. She stands her ground. “Unless you’d try to silence me for good?”

“I could blackmail you.” Kirigiri doesn’t miss a beat, staring up at Byakuya with pure fury in her striking purple eyes, which has no effect on her collected persona thus far. It would be fascinating to witness such a complete control over herself, if he weren’t on its receiving end. “There’s plenty of dirty secrets the Togami family name hides, _that_ I’m sure of.”

“You’d never catch anything to use against me.” Such a threat from the Ultimate Detective hits Byakuya harshly, and she knows it well.

“Oh really?”

“Yes!” They’ve not been frien- _allies_ with each other long enough to exchange secrets. “You can’t possibly believe that you have anything to work with. We’re hardly on the same side here!” The air is thick with tension, and the light drizzle slowly turns to a rain that’d surely become harsh in the coming minutes. “I don’t _care_ about these stupid problems concerning werewolves, I’ve been just fine without it in my life!”

“Then do you care about Naegi-kun? Do you care about _me?”_ Her composure cracks. “Does my love mean _nothi-”_

Kirigiri goes silent, and so does Togami. For what can he do, when he’s faced with _that?_

… Maybe it was something different. And as hesitant as he is to break this daunting silence, as usual, Byakuya forces himself to face it head on. “Naegi?”

“Hm?” Her tone shifts to confusion, taking a sharp step back soon after.

“Do you… love Naegi?” Byakuya can’t _stand_ how weak he sounds. It’s a feeling that sets his nerves alight, and to show it to her, well… it’s not an ideal time.

“... Yes.” She replies, but is quick to add on to it. “But… perhaps you as well.” The detective says it so quickly, as if it were a struggle to even get out. And why wouldn’t it be? Byakuya has no experience with confessions, but he certainly knows that if it were easy, he’d be dating their class' lucky student right now.

“I understand that you’ll refuse.” She huffs, going back to staring at him. “And I might prefer it, after what you’ve said. But-”

“Let me think about this.”

Byakuya cuts in, turning away from her. He can’t bear to look at her any longer. “Give me a day. I’ll have made up my mind by then.”

The ground beneath Togami sinks a bit as he begins to walk away, but before he can be drowned out by the growing storm, he turns back to her. “It doesn’t sound _terrible,_ by the way. And I’ll be more careful next time. Goodbye.”

He leaves her there in the rain, too plagued by their little spat to think about much else than calming down after that. So, he heads towards the dorm of the first person he can think of, the only other classmate he can tolerate the presence of.

“... Togami-kun.” Naegi frowns, spiky wolf ears laid back against his hair at the sight of the man in question. “You’re soaking wet.”

… A shower. Yes, that would... also be good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: makoto talks to byakuya, and yet more truths come to light
> 
> if you want to talk to me, im on tumblr!! my url is mak0w0 <3


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